policies - mountain rescue...

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Mountain Rescue Association

Policies

Mountain Rescue Association POLICY CHANGES TRACKING SHEET

(Tracking sheet, 02-08-15 revised) Due to page renumbering and other revisions, all previous policies manuals are hereby void. Table of contents is updated with each Policy change. Policy Date Addition, Deletion or Change______________________________________ 102.F.12, G.5 6/94 Added PSAR Reporting requirements 102.H.8, I.12 6/94 " 105.A & C 6/94 Delete words relating to "minimums" and "requirements", page numbers. 105.C.6.d 6/94 Correct accidental omission, add (9) Emergency Crash Procedures. 106.D.18 6/94 Delete "Animal" from "Bites & Stings", in title. 106.D.23 & 24 6/94 Accidental omission; add CPR and Infection Control to list. 301.A 6/94 Delete wording to allow Officer's Committee to change meeting dates in an emergency. Now, only the Board can change dates. 502.D 6/94 Add sections 502.D.15–18 (Now extends to page 504). Correct page numbers. 601.B 6/94 Change "...with a minimum of $250 per member unit." to "...with a minimum of $150 per member unit." 105.C+ 1-15-95 Delete specific skills in Helicopter Use & Safety and re-title to simply "Helicopter Use and Safety". 301.B.2 1-15-95 Change "...weekend of" MLK weekend to "...weekend following" MLK weekend. 601.A.2 1-15-95 Delete #2, Accredited Ex Officio from dues and renumber other. 901.1 1-15-95 Add Position Statement: SAR Cost Recovery. 901.2 1-15-95 Add Position Statement: SAR Standards. All 5-15-95 New Manual issued due to renumbering & dating of all pages. 201C 6/95 New Region: Az + Las Vegas = Desert Mountain Region 901.3 6/95 Position: MRA Team Litigation Coverage By Responsible Agency Index 6/95 Redo to Incorporate Revisions & Renumbering 103.1 1-21-96 Add Accreditation for applicants outside existing regions. Renumber all 100 series pages. 201C 1-21-96 Put Clark County, NV in Desert Mtn Region. Canada & other International units are not regions, per se, until they comply with minimum region formation requirements. 701E5 1-21-96 Add; Logo use by financial supporters 804E 1-21-96 Add; Distribution of Education programs to be Stores’ responsibility 101C 6-15-97 Associate membership also for “organizations which support mountain rescue”; associate members may accredit in 1 or more areas. 601B, et al 6-15-97 All references to fees, money or funds shall mean U.S. funds. 102F14, G7 6-15-97 $250 in U.S. funds. 102H11, I14 6-15-97 $250 in U.S. funds. 701 6-15-97 Entire section redone; essentially clarifying that the “insignia” means the patch and the “logo” means the decal. It then further specifies who can display which. 101C8 1-25-98 Clarification; Only an associate team seeking “skills accreditation” (aka: partial accreditation) must complete appropriate field tests. Cover & Index 1-24-99 Revised: Table of Contents 101B2c 1-24-99 Clarified: Ex Officio Accreditation requiring 5 rescue level personnel. 101C 1-24-99 Clarified: Associate accredited application procedures 101F 1-24-99 Added: Additional requirements for membership good standing 102I 1-24-99 Clarified: Associate application procedure 102J 1-24-99 Added: Application procedure for units wishing to upgrade

POLICY TRACKING SHEET (Tracking sheet, 02-08-15 revised) 301B1 1-24-99 Changed: June meeting date 502D19 1-24-99 Added: Statistics Committee and Chair 502D20 1-24-99 Added: Research and Development Grant 601 1-24-99 Enhanced: Dues 803 B 1-24-99 Added: Officers can release mailing list case-by-case 202 3-24-99 Added: Region Officers Responsibilities 401B5 3-24-99 Added: VP additional responsibility 501E 3-24-99 Added: Officers’ Orientation 502D1 3-24-99 Revised: Membership Chair and Committee 502D13 3-24-99 Revised: Awards and Recognition 701E3d 3-24-99 Added: Authorize units to use logo on certificate 702C 3-24-99 Revised: Qualification Card 1000 3-24-99 Added: Attachments, Addenda & Appendices 101C 6-20-99 Delete IRS 501C requirement to enable out of country units to join 102I 6-20-99 Clarify procedure for units if they are non-profit 103.1I 6-20-99 Strike references to Whistle Test 103.2 6-20-99 Add International Evaluator Program 105C6a 6-20-99 Add “Use of GPS” 105A 6-20-99 Add an Appendix to clarify our titles as they compare to ICS, NFPA, etc. 301.B1 1-21-01 Changed "...held on the weekend before Father's day." to "...held in June." 702.C 11-21-01 Delete C1: "Accredited teams should send dues equal to the number of active

members to the MRA before January 31st of each year." 702.C3 1-21-01 Delete C3: "Units may opt not to receive the cards by marking so on the annual invoice form." 702.C5 1-21-01 Delete C5: "Units may reproduce their own cards in this format, but may not be used if the member or unit is not in current standing with the MRA." 502D20c3 6-24-01 Add “Should any funds not be dispersed then the remaining funds will be held in an interest bearing account for future disbursement, interest shall remain in the research grant. 102F14 6-24-01 Clarify: Application Fee 102G7 6-24-01 Clarify: Application Fee 102H11 6-24-01 Clarify: Application Fee 102I14 6-24-01 Clarify: Application Fee 601B 6-09-02 Change amount of dues paid from $10 per active team member to $15 502D21 1-19-03 Add new part of policy "FUNDRAISING AND DEVELOPMENT" 701E5 1-19-03 Change title "Use of MRA Logo by Financial Supporters" to "Corporate Sponsor Logo". In sentence 1 change the word "financial" to "it's" 704A 1-19-03 Change in sentence 3 "and" to "and/or" 201C9 1-19-03 Delete " International and unaffiliated teams and units: Canada and other countries, etc. (1-21-96)" 601C 6-15-03 Change " Dues shall be due on January 31 of each year " to "Dues shall be received by January 1st of each year and are thereafter considered delinquent" 601D 6-15-03 Change " January 31 " to January 1" 502D6 6-15-03 Add "Disseminate advances in equipment and rescue techniques and procedures" 105.1 1-22-06 Added appendix 105.1 for compliance with NIMS. 102K 1-21-07 Add “a” after distribute and delete “the Legal Counsel” 102L 1-21-07 Delete “Legal Counsel” and replace with “Membership Chair” and delete “Membership Chair” and replace with “Board of Directors” 102O 1-21-07 Delete “President” and replace with “Membership Chair” and delete “Membership Chair”

POLICY TRACKING SHEET (Tracking sheet, 02-08-15 revised) 102O2 1-21-07 Delete “The new team will be provided with membership cards for the number of members' dues forwarded and catalogs from the MRA Stores, MRA Clearinghouse, and the Education Committee. The new team will also receive an invitation letter and a calendar of MRA events, including the next two Board meetings.” 102O3 1-21-07 Delete “d. Completed Response Coordination Inventory Form” 103E 1-21-07 Delete “the Officers Committee shall establish the accreditation procedures and make arrangements for testing” and replace with Policy 103.1 Accreditation/Re-accreditation Guidelines For Applicant Units Outside An Existing Region shall take precedent. 103.1 1-21-07 In title Add “re-accreditation” after accreditation and Delete “Applicant” 103.1A 1-21-07 Add “/re-accreditation” after accreditation 103.1B 1-21-07 Add “/re-accreditation” after accreditation 103.1D 1-21-07 Replace “Board of Directors” to “Membership Chair” 103.1E 1-21-07 Add “/re-accreditation” after accreditation 103.1F 1-21-07 Delete “The lead evaluator is encouraged to use an additional person as a lead evaluator trainee if available.” and replace with “with at least one evaluator qualified to a medical level equal to or above MRA Policy 106” 103.1G 1-21-07 Delete “Lead” from title. Add bullet 4. “Submit Out of Region Evaluator Application to Membership Chair” and add bullet 5 “Membership Chair shall appoint a Lead Evaluator for that specific accreditation/re-accreditation” 103.1H 1-21-07 Delete entire part H. Evaluator Criteria

1.Must be a Rescue member of an MRA team for greater than 1 year or equivalent. (e.g. Certified member of AMGA-American Mountain Guides Association or CMGA-Canadian Mountain Guides Association, or other recognized organization.) 2.At least 1 Evaluator must be trained at a medical level equal to or above MRA Policy 106.

103.1K 1-21-07 Add “/re-accreditation” after accreditation 103.1L 1-21-07 Add “/re-accreditation” after accreditation 103.1M 1-21-07 Add “/re-accreditation” after accreditation 103.2 1-21-07 Delete entire policy 103.2 104E 1-21-07 Add part E. “Units Outside and Existing Region shall follow MRA Policy 103.1. 301B1 6-24-07 Delete “…the weekend following the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in January” and add “in January”. 103E 6-20-10 Delete”Accreditation/Re-accreditation Guidelines For Applicant Units Outside An Existing Region” and add “Minimum Standards and Qualifications for MRA Accreditation/Re-accreditation” 103.1 6-20-10 Delete in title “…Guidelines For Units Outside An Existing Region” and add in title “Minimum Standards and Qualifications for MRA…” 103.1G 6-20-10 Delete entire par G. Evaluator Criteria and add

1. Must be a Rescue member of a MRA Regular Member Unit 2. Must be a member of a MRA Regular Member Unit for a minimum of three (3) years. 3. Must have participated in at least one (1) accreditation/re-accreditation (either as an observer or with their own teams accreditation/re-accreditation) 4. Must be endorsed by their team leadership.

POLICY TRACKING SHEET (Tracking sheet, 02-08-15 revised) 103.1H 6-20-10 Add entire part H Out of Region Evaluator Critera

1. Must meet criteria in 103.1G 2. Submit Out of Region Evaluator Application to Membership Chair 3. Membership Chair shall appoint a Lead Evaluator for that specific accreditation/re-accreditation 4. Lead Evaluator must have incident management experience and training consistent with FEMA IS-700, ICS-100 & ICS-200. 5. Lead Evaluator must be a member of a MRA Regular Member Unit for a minimum of five years. 6. Lead Evaluator must have participated as an evaluator in three (3) previous accreditations/re-accreditations within the last seven (7) years.

104D 6-20-10 Insert “as per Policy 103.1 E, F1-8, G, I, J, K, L, M, O” 104 6-20-10 Add “Procedures For” in the beginning of the title. 201B 1-09-11 Insert “or Policy 201A” after …by the MRA Bylaws 201B.3 1-09-11 Remove “at least four months” 201C.3 1-09-11 Add “including the following Nevada counties: Carson City, Esmeralda,

Douglas, Lyon, Mineral, Storey and Washoe” after “California” 201C.4 1-09-11 Add “excluding the following Nevada counties: Carson City, Esmeralda,

Douglas, Lyon, Mineral, Storey and Washoe after “Nevada” 501A 6-19-11 Delete “each also different from the regions in which the member units of the elected officers are located.

101A.8 1-08-12 Replace “25” in two places with “15” 101D 1-08-12 Add 101D.3 “Active Team Member” and insert “Any member, Rescue

Member, Full Member, Support Member, Trainee, Probationary, Field Associate, Associate, and all other terminologies that describe participating members of the Mountain Rescue Unit or Team.”

502D.15 1-08-12 Added sections c, d, e and f to the IKAR policy. 601B 1-08-12 Delete “$150” and add “$225 and a maximum of $1000” 502D.20.c.3 2-03-13 Delete “Should any funds not be dispersed then the remaining funds will be

held in an interest bearing account for future disbursement, interest shall remain in research grant.

502D.15.c 6-09-13 Changed IKAR delegate term “2 year term” to “4 year term” and “each year” to “every two years” 502D.15.f 2-02-14 Changed expense reimbursement requirements 502D.15 2-08-15 Change “IKAR” to “ICAR” 502.D.15.a 2-08-15 Change “IKAR” to “ICAR” 502.D.15.b 2-08-15 Change “IKAR” to “ICAR” 502.D.15.c 2-08-15 Change “representative” to “delegate. Change “February 15th of each” to “February 15th of the election”. Change in all bullets “IKAR” to “ICAR”. Change “May 15th of each” to “May 15th of the election”. Add bullet

“Applications for the Medical Commission delegate positions will be screened by the MRA Medical Committee. The Medical Committee will bring forth recommended candidate(s) to the ICAR committee chair for consideration by the board of directors.

502.D.15.d 2-08-15 Change in all bullets “IKAR” to “ICAR”. Change in all bullets “representative” to “delegate”.

502.D.15.e 2-08-15 Change in all bullets “IKAR” to “ICAR”. Change in all bullets “representative” to “delegate”.

502.D.15.f 2-08-15 Change in all bullets “IKAR” to “ICAR”. Change in all bullets “representative” to “delegate”. Change “30 days” to “60 days”. Add at the end of the bullet “or the ICAR delegate’s status may be terminated at the discretion of the officers.”

Mountain Rescue Association OFFICIAL POLICIES

(Table of Contents, 2-05-15 revised)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

100. Membership, Accreditation and Standards PAGE

101 Membership Qualifications------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 100 102 Membership Application Procedure-------------------------------------------------------------------- 105 103 Accreditation Policies and Procedures----------------------------------------------------------------- 112 104 Re-accreditation Procedures----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 120 105 Personnel Guidelines------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 121 106 EMS Guidelines------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 124 200. Regions 201 Region Creation and Boundaries----------------------------------------------------------------------- 200 202 Organization of Regions--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 202 203 Dissolution of Region------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 206 300. Meetings and Elections 301 Meeting Dates and Places------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 300 302 Meeting Arrangements----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 301 303 Meeting Guidelines--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 302 304 Elections of Officers------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 303 305 Voting------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 305 400. Administration 401 Duties of Officers----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 400 402 Removal of Officers-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 403 500. Committees 501 Officers Committee--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 500 502 Membership Committees-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 502 503 Reporting of Committees-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 511 600. Finances 601 Dues-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 600 602 Budget------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 601 603 Authorized Expenses------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 602 606 Annual Financial Report--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 603 700. Insignia, Logos, Equipment, Material 701 Insignia and Logo----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 700 702 Membership Cards---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 704 703 Uniforms, Patches, Stickers, Emblems---------------------------------------------------------------- 705 704 Endorsement of Commercial Products & Services--------------------------------------------------- 706 705 MRA Radio License-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 707

800. Publications and Member Services 801 Rescue Forum--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 800 802 MRA Directory------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 801 803 Other Publications---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 802 804 MRA Stores----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 803 805 MRA Clearinghouse-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 804 806 MRA Library---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 805 900. Position Statements 901.1 Rescue Cost Recovery----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 900 901.2 SAR Standards-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 901 901.3 Team Litigation Coverage By Responsible Agency------------------------------------------------- 901 1000. Addenda, Attachments and Appendices 1. MRA Research and Development Grant Proposal Form 2. MRA Statistics Form 3. International Commission for Alpine Rescue (IKAR) Statistics Form 4. American Alpine Club (AAC), Accidents in North American Mountaineering

(ANAM) Form

6. MRA Evaluator Application Form Forms available upon request from MRA Secretary: 1. Current FCC License 2. Articles of Incorporation 3. Current 501 (c) letter

Note: These Official Policies were adopted by the Board of Directors of the Mountain Rescue Association on June 12th 1994, and replace all previous applicable policies. Subsequent changes are noted by indicating the date of change on each page or policy changed

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Official Policies of the Mountain Rescue Association POLICY 101

MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS (Policy 101, 1-08-2012 revised) Background Article II, Section I, of the Bylaws of the MRA states: “Membership in the MRA shall be open to any mountain rescue organization, (a) which meets the requirements for the particular category of membership as set forth in the policies and procedures adopted by the Board of Directors, and (b) which is approved by a majority vote of the regular members present and voting at a regular meeting of the membership.” Policy 101. A. Regular Membership Regular membership is limited to teams which meet the definition of

mountain rescue unit found in the MRA Bylaws: "A search and rescue organization engaged in search and rescue in a mountainous environment, and demonstrating proficiency in search, non-technical rescue and technical rescue in a four-season alpine environment." To qualify for membership in the MRA as a Regular Member, a prospective team must meet all of the following requirements:

1. There must be a need for a mountain rescue team in the service area, taking into

consideration terrain, the number of actual or potential incidents, the governmental jurisdiction, and the existing procedures for mountain search and rescue.

2. The local authorized governmental agency for search and rescue must agree to utilize the

prospective team on search and rescue missions.

3. The service area of the prospective team should not represent a significant portion of the service area of an accredited, regular-member, MRA team. If this occurs, a mutually-agreed arrangement must be worked out between the teams.

4. The prospective team must be a volunteer, not-for-profit, public service organization.

Evidence of such status may be provided by incorporating under the laws of the home state and by obtaining a determination letter from the Federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) stating the unit qualifies as a not-for-profit organization under Section 501(c) of the IRS Code.

5. The team must be self-governing with elected leadership.

6. The team must have a minimum of five members qualified as Rescue Members, as

defined in Policy 105.C.

7. The team must have a sufficient number of Support Members, as defined Policy 105.D, to conduct search and rescue operations in the team's service area.

8. The team will be expected to have a total of 15 active Rescue and Support Members. If

the total is less than 15, the team must explain on the application why fewer members are sufficient.

9. The team must have submitted a completed Application for Membership, as described in

Policy 102.F.

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MEMBERSHIP (Policy 101, 6-20-99 revised) 101A 10. The team must have completed all field tests, as described in Policy 103.C. 11. The team must agree to the terms and conditions of the MRA Bylaws and Policies. 12. The team should be recommended for membership by the region in which it is located. If

the team is located outside all designated regions, or if the region does not recommend membership for any reason, the team may apply directly to the MRA for admittance.

B. Ex-Officio Membership Ex-Officio membership is primarily intended for governmental

agencies which conduct mountain search and rescue operations, but which may not otherwise meet the qualifications for Regular Membership stated above. Ex-Officio membership may be Accredited or Non-Accredited.

1. Non-Accredited Ex-Officio Membership To qualify for membership in the MRA as a

Non-Accredited Ex-Officio Member, a prospective organization must meet all of the following requirements:

a. The organization must be a governmental agency that has jurisdiction for search

and rescue in its service area, or participates, with the approval of the authorized agency, in land search and rescue in the service area.

b. There must be a need for mountain search and rescue in the service area, taking

into consideration terrain and the number of actual or potential incidents. c. The organization must demonstrate its capability for conducting the operations

for which it is tasked. d. The organization's stated purposes and operation procedures must not be in

conflict with the purposes of the MRA. e. The team must have submitted a completed Application for Membership, as

described in Policy 102.G.

2. Accredited Ex-Officio Membership To qualify for membership in the MRA as an Accredited Ex-Officio Member, a prospective team must meet all of the following requirements:

a. The organization must be a governmental agency that has jurisdiction for search

and rescue in its service area, or participates, with the approval of the authorized agency, in land search and rescue in the service area.

b. There must be a need for mountain search and rescue in the service area, taking

into consideration terrain and the number of actual or potential incidents. c. For full accreditation, the team must have the equivalent of a minimum (1-24-99) of five

members qualified as Rescue Members, as defined in Policy 105.C. Rescue Members may be either paid personnel or volunteers.

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MEMBERSHIP (Policy 101, 6-20-99 revised) 101B

d. The team must have a sufficient number of Support Members, as defined in Policy 105.D, to conduct search and rescue operations in the team's service area. Support Members may include seasonal or temporary workers, or volunteers.

e. The team must have submitted a completed Application for Membership, as

described in Policy 102.H.

f. The team must have completed all field tests, as described in Policy 103.C.

g. The team should be recommended for membership by the region in which it is located. If the team is located outside all designated regions, or if the region does not recommend membership for any reason, the team may apply directly to the MRA for admittance.

h. The team must agree to the terms and conditions of the MRA Bylaws and

Policies. C. Associate Membership Associate Membership is intended for (6/97) organizations that support

mountain rescue and for search and rescue teams that do not qualify for Regular Membership because of a lack of one or more of the Regular Member qualifications. To qualify for membership as an Associate Member, accredited in one or more areas (1-24-99), a prospective team must meet all of the following requirements:

1. There must be a need for a mountain rescue team in the service area, taking into

consideration terrain, the number of actual or potential incidents, the governmental jurisdiction, and the existing procedures for mountain search and rescue.

2. The local authorized governmental agency for search and rescue must agree to utilize the prospective team on search and rescue missions.

3. The service area of the prospective team should not represent a significant portion of the service area of an accredited, regular-member, MRA team. If this occurs, a mutually-agreed arrangement must be worked out between the teams.

4. The prospective team must be a volunteer, not-for-profit, public service organization.

(6-20-99) 5. The team must be self-governing with elected leadership.

6. The team must have a sufficient number of members to conduct search and rescue operations in the team's service area.

7. The team must have submitted a completed Application for Membership, as described in

Policy 102.I.

8. A team seeking any skills accreditation (1-25-98) must have completed all field tests for the skills required to perform search and rescues within its service area and within its technical specialty.

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MEMBERSHIP (Policy 101, 1-08-12 revised) 101C

9. The team should be recommended for membership by the region in which it is located. If the team is located outside all designated regions, or if the region does not recommend membership for any reason, the team may apply directly to the MRA for admittance.

10. The team must agree to the terms and conditions of the MRA Bylaws and Policies.

D. Definitions For the purposes of these policies, the following definitions are used:

1. Rescue Member A member of an applicant or member team qualified as specified in 105.C.

2. Support Member A member of an applicant or member team who is qualified as

specified in Policy 105.D. 3. Active Team Member Any member, Rescue Member, Full Member, Support Member,

Trainee, Probationary, Field Associate, Associate, and all other terminologies that describe participating members of the Mountain Rescue Unit or Team.

E. Region Requirements In addition to the requirements stated above, regions may adopt

additional requirements for region membership, such requirements to meet or exceed national requirements. Region membership requirements must be in accordance with MRA bylaws and policies.

F. Additional requirements of member units (1-24-99) In addition to the previously listed

requirements in Policy 101, the following is established to provide member unit guidelines in order to maintain good standing in the MRA. This does not include other reasons for which a unit may be removed according to Bylaws Article II.13.

1. All member units shall;

a. Meet re-accreditation requirements in Policy 104;

b. Be current on, and pay all dues and fees. 2. Additionally, all member units should;

a. Submit an Annual Report with Dues, including; 1) Team statistics, including; a) Mission, training and public education statistics;

b) Demographics of team: Total number of members at each Medical level (number of first-aid, EMT-Bs, EMT-Ps, RNs, MDs, etc.) and Team level (number of Ops Leader, Rescue, Support, etc.);

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MEMBERSHIP (Policy 101, 6-20-99 revised) 101F

2) Unit roster including each members name and mailing address (this may be the individuals’ addresses or it may be the unit’s address for one or more members to aid in group distribution or for individual privacy);

b. Provide a representative or proxy at the Winter and Spring MRA conferences;

c. Provide at least one team leader (and encourage all members) to subscribe to the

free MRA Closed Email List Server; d. Annually, send in changes for the MRA Directory (officers, contact information,

etc.)

e. Regularly, send a copy of their unit newsletter to the MRA address

f. Send in any changes in unit/ organization Bylaws or Policies.

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MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION PROCEDURE (Policy 102, 1-21-07 revised)

Background The following policy describes the standard procedure for a team to apply for membership in the Mountain Rescue Association. (Individual memberships are only granted to persons who have demonstrated exceptional dedication or service to the MRA, and are thereby made Honorary Members.) Since the procedure described here is meant to evaluate the competency of the applicant team, some of the steps may be waived or amended for specific applications by approval of the Board of Directors. Policy 102. A. Initial Contact The initial inquiry about the necessary qualifications and procedures for joining

the Mountain Rescue Association should be with the Membership Chair. If initial contact happens to be with a member team, a region or any other organization or individual, the interested team should be advised to contact the Membership Chair for information, or to file an application.

B. Information Mailing When the Membership Chair receives a request for information on

becoming an MRA member; he or she should send the contact person information about the MRA, the procedures for admission, and the name and address of the applicable region chair. A copy of the request should also be sent to the region chair.

C. Region Contact After receiving the above copy of the request, the region chair should contact

the interested team. If it appears that the team is nominally qualified, and is sincere in requesting admittance to the MRA, the region chair should notify the Membership Chair.

D. Application Package Mailing After receiving a request for application, the Membership Chair

should mail the interested team a Prospective Member's package, including an application form and information on completing the application.

E. Region Information Region policies and procedures relating to application for membership

should be made available to the prospective team by the region, according to region policy. F. Application for Regular Membership Application for regular membership must be submitted

in writing, on the Membership Application Form, to the Membership Chair. The following additional information or material must accompany the application:

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APPLICATION PROCEDURE (Policy 102, 1-21-07 revised) 102F

1. A cover letter explaining why the team is seeking membership in the MRA. The letter

must include the information required in Policy 101.A, including the need for a mountain rescue team, the service area covered, the type of terrain within the service area, the number of actual or potential incidents, the name of the governmental agency responsible for search and rescue in the service area, and the current arrangements employed by the authorized agency for carrying out search and rescue in the area.

2. A copy of the team's Constitution and Bylaws.

3. A copy of the team's incorporation papers.

4. A copy of the determination letter from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service stating that the

team is exempt from Federal taxes under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code.

5. A team roster or call-out list listing the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the team members and indicating which members are qualified under Policy 101.D as Rescue Members and Support Members.

6. The administrative and field organizational structure of the team including the method of

electing officers and members of the governing board, if it is not contained in the team's bylaws, and the administrative and field structure of the team.

7. The team's procedures for conducting a search and rescue operation.

8. A training schedule for the past and current year.

9. A letter, memorandum of understanding, or other document from the authorized

governmental agency indicating that it agrees to utilize the applicant team during search and rescue operations.

10. A detailed list of team-owned equipment.

11. A list of the SAR operations the team has participated in during the previous year or

several years.

12. A list of Preventative SAR statistics for the previous year, including number of talks, classes or educational public relations events, hours spent on those, number of people in the audiences, etc.

13. Any other information which may be useful in analyzing the team's qualifications for

membership.

14. A one-time non-refundable application fee in the amount of $250 in U.S. funds is required for all applicants. The application fee is separate from membership dues. No member benefits will be received upon payment of this application fee.

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APPLICATION PROCEDURE (Policy 102, 1-21-07 revised) 102G G. Application for Non-Accredited Ex-Officio Membership Application for Non-Accredited Ex-

Officio Membership must be submitted in writing, on the Membership Application form, to the Membership Chair. The following additional information or material must accompany the application:

1. A cover letter explaining why the agency is seeking membership in the MRA. The letter

must include the information requested in Policy 101.B.1, including the need for a mountain rescue service, the service area covered, the type of terrain within the service area, the number of actual or potential incidents, the name of the governmental agency responsible for search and rescue in the service area, and the current arrangements employed by the authorized agency for carrying out search and rescue in the area.

2. The organizational structure of the agency's rescue team, or if a permanent rescue team is

not employed, the organization used to conduct search and rescue operations.

3. The agency's procedures for conducting search and rescue operations.

4. A list of the SAR operations the agency has participated in during the previous year or several years.

5. A list of preventive SAR statistics for the previous year, including number of talks, classes

or educational public relations events, hours spent on those, number of people in audiences, etc.

6. Any other information which may be useful in analyzing the agency's qualification for

membership.


H. Application for Accredited Ex-Officio Membership Application for Accredited Ex-Officio

Membership must be submitted in writing, on the Membership Application form, to the Membership Chair. The following additional information or material must accompany the application:

1. A cover letter explaining why the agency is seeking membership in the MRA. The letter

must include the information requested in Policy 101.B.2, including the need for a mountain rescue service, the service area covered, the type of terrain within the service area, the number of actual or potential incidents, the name of the governmental agency responsible for search and rescue in the service area, and the current arrangements employed by the authorized agency for carrying out search and rescue in the area.

2. The organizational structure of the agency's rescue team, or if a permanent rescue team is

not employed, the organization used to conduct search and rescue operations.

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APPLICATION PROCEDURE (Policy 102, 1-21-07 revised) 102H

3. A team roster or call-out list listing the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the team members and indicating which members are qualified under Policy 101.D as Rescue Members and Support Members. If a permanent rescue team is not employed, this requirement can include the general qualifications of the personnel used in search and rescue operations. The requirement for addresses and telephone numbers may also be waived for law enforcement personnel or for any privacy reason.

4. The organizational structure of the team including the method of assigning leadership.

5. The agency's procedures for conducting search and rescue operations.

6. A description of the training given search and rescue personnel.

7. A list of the SAR operations the agency has participated in during the previous year or

several years. 8. A list of Preventive SAR statistics for the previous year, including number of talks, classes

or educational public relations events, hours spent on those, number of people in audiences, etc.

9. A detailed list of search and rescue equipment employed by the agency. 10. Any other information which may be useful in analyzing the agency's qualifications for

membership.


I. Application for Associate or Accredited Associate Membership Application for Associate

membership must be submitted in writing, on the Membership Application Form, to the Membership Chair. The following additional information must accompany the application, as applicable (1-24-99):

1. A cover letter explaining why the team is seeking membership in the MRA. The letter

must include the information required in Policy 101.C, including the need for a mountain rescue team, the service area covered, the type of terrain within the service area, the number of actual or potential incidents, the name of the governmental agency responsible for search and rescue in the service area, and the current arrangements employed by the authorized agency for carrying out search and rescue in the area.

2. A copy of the team's Constitution and Bylaws. 3. A copy of the team's incorporation papers.

4. If the unit is non-profit (6-20-99), a copy of the determination letter from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service stating that the team is exempt from Federal taxes under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code, or their country’s equivalent.

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APPLICATION PROCEDURE (Policy 102, 1-21-07 revised) 102I

5. A team roster or call-out list listing the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the team members and indicating which members are qualified under Policy 101.D as Rescue Members and Support Members.

6. The organizational structure of the team including the method of electing officers and members of the governing board, if it is not contained in the team's bylaws. 7. The team's procedures for conducting a search and rescue operation. 8. A training schedule for the past and current year.

9. A letter, memorandum of understanding, or other document from the authorized governmental agency indicating that it agrees to utilize the applicant team during search and rescue operations.

10. A detailed list of team-owned equipment.

11. A list of the SAR operations the team has participated in during the previous year or several years.

12. A list of Preventive SAR statistics for the previous year, including number of talks,

classes or educational public relations events, hours spent on those, number of people in audiences, etc.

13. Any other information which may be useful in analyzing the team's qualifications for

membership. 14. A one-time non-refundable application fee in the amount of $250 in U.S. funds is

required for all applicants. The application fee is separate from membership dues. No member benefits will be received upon payment of this application fee.

J. Region Application

1. If the region in which the applicant team is located requires a separate application, such

application must be submitted to the appropriate region person or address. The region shall process the application according to its procedures.

2. (1-24-99) Application for addition (upgrade) of Accreditation categories. Any existing

MRA unit that wishes to apply for 1 or more additional Accreditation categories must submit the request in writing to the Membership Chair, as follows; a. An application form, including all attachments which have changed since their

original application;

b. A check in the amount of current fees described in MRA Policy 601.

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APPLICATION PROCEDURE (Policy 102, 1-21-07 revised) 102K K. Distribution of Application Upon receiving an application for membership in the Mountain

Rescue Association, the Membership Chair should make and distribute a complete copy to the Region Chair of the applicable region.

L. Application Processing The following actions summarize the procedures required before an

application may be considered for acceptance by the Board of Directors:

1. The Membership Chair must review the application for conformance with MRA Bylaws and Policies, and must submit a written report to the Board of Directors certifying that the application is complete and satisfactory.

2. The Region must assign a sponsor team to the applicant team (or assume sponsorship

itself), must conduct all required tests, must certify that the team has passed all required tests, and must submit written approval of the application to the Membership Chair.

3. The Membership Chair must review the region's approval and submit a written

recommendation to the Board of Directors. M. Accreditation Where these bylaws require accreditation of an applicant team before admittance

as a member, the accreditation testing shall be performed by the region, in accordance with Policy 103.C.

N. Action of Board of Directors When all of the above procedures have been completed, the

Membership Chair shall submit the application to the Board of Directors at a regular or special meeting. The form of presentation shall be prescribed by the President; however delegates to the meeting shall be given sufficient information to render a decision. The Board shall vote on the application according to MRA bylaws and policies.

O. Administration Upon receiving a favorable vote, the applicant team becomes a member team

under the membership classification approved by the Board of Directors. Unless MRA or region policies or actions stipulate otherwise, the team also automatically becomes a member of the region to which it is assigned. The following administrative actions shall be taken:

1. The Membership Chair shall notify the applicant team that it has been accepted as a

member. Copies of the notice shall be sent to the Region Chair, and MRA Stores Manager.

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APPLICATION PROCEDURE (Policy 102, 1-21-07 revised) 102O

2. The Membership Chair will file the application with the permanent files and shall take such other actions as may be necessary to integrate the new member team into the Mountain Rescue Association.

3. New member teams shall submit to the Secretary, the following: a. The proper amount of dues based on the current dues structure. b. Names and addresses of individual team members. c. Information on the team needed for inclusion in the MRA Directory.

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ACCREDITATION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES (Policy 103, 01-21-07 revised)

Background MRA policy requires that applicant teams must be accredited to the minimum standards of a mountain rescue team, as defined in the MRA bylaws, before being admitted as Regular Members. Ex-Officio Members may become accredited. Any membership category seeking to become accredited is subject to the same accreditation standards as those for Regular Members. The following policy applies to teams which are accrediting for the first time, or to teams which have lost their accreditation and are attempting to establish new accreditation. The periodic re-accreditation of member teams which have not lost their accreditation is described in Policy 104. Policy 103. A. Sponsor Upon notification of the application for Regular or Accredited Ex-Officio membership

by an applicant team, the region should assign a member team to act as sponsor for the applicant team. If no sponsor team is assigned, the Region may act as sponsor, assigning a member of the Region Board of Directors or some other qualified person to act as a substitute sponsor. The sponsor should assist the applicant team in passing the required tests and completing other tasks needed to become an accredited member.

B. Personnel, Equipment and Procedures The sponsor should evaluate the applicant team's

personnel, equipment, and procedures against the standards required in Policy 101. In particular, the sponsor should check to see that the applicant team has enough members qualified as Rescue and Support Members, as defined in Policy 101.D. Equipment may be team-owned or member-owned, but there must be evidence that the team has enough adequate equipment to carry out search and rescue within its service area. Procedures should be established and understood by the members pertaining to call-out, individual response, search and rescue techniques, and medical protocol. There should also be evidence of regular and effective training.

C. Testing Each region shall establish standards and procedures for testing applicant teams in the

three technical areas of mountain rescue competency: high-angle rescue (rock rescue), ice and snow, and wilderness search. Testing should involve simulated realistic scenarios, wherever possible, requiring significant application of search and rescue techniques in the field. Testing may require demonstration of personal skills as well as teamwork. Test standards should assure that applicant teams are technically competent to handle mountain search and rescue operations anywhere in their service area.

D. Region Recommendation Upon the successful completion of the accreditation review and tests,

the region shall submit its recommendation for approval to the Membership Chair for action by the Board of Directors.

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ACCREDITATION POLICIES & PROCEDURES (Policy 103, 1-21-07 revised) 103E E. No Applicable Region Where an applicant team is located outside a designated region, Policy

103.1 Minimum Standards and Qualifications for MRA Accreditation/Re-accreditation shall take precedent.

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Official Policies of the Mountain Rescue Association POLICY 103.1

MINIMUM STANDARDS AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR MRA ACCREDITATION/RE-ACCREDITATION

(Policy 103.1, 6-20-10 revised)

Policy 103.1 A. Organization The accreditation/re-accreditation exercise consists of three parts (for full

accreditation/re-accreditation) performed after satisfying the items listed in the requirements section of MRA Policies for Membership and those below: Technical Rock Rescue (High & Low Angle), Technical Snow and Ice Rescue (including avalanche), and Wilderness Search, including a mock Search and a Discussion of Past Search Operations.

B. Format The time and length of the accreditation/re-accreditation exercise will be determined by

the lead Evaluator and the Applicant team's representative. The suggested format is to perform the exercise over a consecutive three day period. The site for the exercise is selected by the applicant. The problems are designed by the evaluation team and should be as realistic as possible.

C. Briefing The applicant and the evaluation team meet to review the applicant's paperwork and to

answer last minute questions about the exercise. The evaluation team will meet for an organizational meeting, at which the remaining schedule and assignments will be worked out. A briefing for the applicant team will be held and the evaluation team will be divided into their assignments.

D. Recommendations At the conclusion of each day's exercises and any other days, the evaluation

team will meet to discuss the day's events, then hold a critique of the day's events with the applicant. At the conclusion of the final day's events, the evaluation team will meet and review those events, making a decision on its recommendation. A critique will be held, and the evaluation team will announce its recommendation. The recommendation will be passed on to the Membership Chair.

E. Skills tested For full accreditation, the applicant will be tested in three general areas of mountain

rescue skills: Technical Rock Rescue, Technical Snow & Ice Rescue and Wilderness Search. The applicant must demonstrate its proficiency in solving problems in these areas with proper and safe techniques and with evidence of adequate numbers of trained active personnel to accomplish such a search or rescue on a routine basis. The following sections are provided so that all the members of the applicant team will know the types of activities and skills their team will need to perform during the accreditation/re-accreditation tests.

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MINIMUM STANDARDS AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR MRA ACCREDITATION/RE-ACCREDITATION (Policy 103.1, 6-20-10 revised) 103.1F F. General Requirements 1. The general safety of all participants must be addressed throughout the entire exercise.

2. The problems for testing will be set up by the evaluation team who will then inform the applicant of the situation and the ground rules. This will be done on site, with no call-out.

3. The problems should be as objective and realistic as possible within the parameters of a

typical mountain rescue mission.

4. The evaluation team must agree upon the location and nature of any imaginary obstacles. These obstacles shall be clearly marked and identified and then explained to the applicant before the test begins.

5. The problem shall not be changed during the test except by mutual agreement between

the Team Representative and the Lead Evaluator.

6. A request to "STOP" (due to safety concerns) by anyone at any time during the exercise must be honored.

7. How and when the evaluators may ask questions during the exercise must be determined

prior to the start of the exercise.

8. An action plan that addresses "real" incidences during the exercise must also be established prior to the start of the exercise.

9. The evaluator team shall consist of one lead evaluator and a minimum of two other

evaluators who meet the criteria below with at least one evaluator qualified to a medical level equal to or above MRA Policy 106. Lead evaluator is authorized to utilize additional evaluators as needed.

G. Evaluator Criteria

1. Must be a Rescue member of a MRA Regular Member Unit. 2. Must be a member of a MRA Regular Member Unit for a minimum of three (3) years.

3. Must have participated in at least one (1) accreditation/re-accreditation (either as an

observer or with their own team’s accreditation/ re-accreditation. 4. Must be endorsed by their team leadership

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MINIMUM STANDARDS AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR MRA ACCREDITATION/RE-ACCREDITATION (Policy 103.1, 6-20-10 revised) 103.1H H. Out of Region Evaluator Criteria

1. Must meet criteria in 103.1G

2. Submit Out of Region Evaluator Application to Membership Chair

3. Membership Chair shall appoint a Lead Evaluator for that specific accreditation/re-accreditation

4. Lead Evaluator must have incident management experience and training consistent

with FEMA IS-700, ICS-100 & ICS-200.

5. Lead Evaluator must be a member of a MRA Regular Member Unit for a minimum of five years.

6. Lead Evaluator must have participated as an evaluator in three (3) previous

accreditations/re-accreditations within the last seven (7) years.

I. Evaluation Team Guidelines: Evaluating Technical Systems (Technical Rock, Technical

Snow and Ice) 1. The rescue to be performed will be completed with systems designed and executed using

the following factors; a. Safety of All Personnel

b. Adequate Redundancy

c. Adequate Safety Margin

d. Terrain and Conditions

e. Efficiency (systems and time)

f. Anticipated Load

g. Simplicity

h. Local Guidelines and Regulations

J. Oral Evaluation Throughout the entire exercise the evaluation team will ask team members

questions in the following subject areas: rope dynamics, stresses and loads in technical systems, causes and prevention of and recovery from failures in technical systems, personal and subject(s) safety and general questions about systems used in mountain rescue.

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MINIMUM STANDARDS AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR MRA ACCREDITATION/RE-ACCREDITATION (Policy 103.1, 6-20-10 revised) 103.1K K. Field Exercise: High Angle Evacuation The High Angle Evacuation operation is designed to

evaluate the team's high angle rescue capabilities. The location for the evacuation and the problem itself are both designated by the evaluation team. During the high angle evacuation portion of Accreditation/re-accreditation, the following areas will be considered:

1. Safety

2. Ability to Access & Transport Patient(s) 3. Vertical Raising and Lowering Systems

4. Knot Pass

5. Litter Team Face Skills

6. Mid-Face Medical Care

7. Patient Stabilization and Loading

8. Communication of Information between Rescue Personnel

9. Improvisational and Adaptation Skills 10. Use of Anchor Systems

11. System Design, i.e., mechanical advantage

12. System Components

13. Belay Techniques

L. Field Exercise: Low Angle Evacuation The Low Angle Evacuation is designed to evaluate the

team's low angle rescue capabilities. The location for the evacuation and the problem itself are both designated by the evaluation team. During the low angle evacuation portion of the accreditation/re-accreditation, the following areas will be considered:

1. Safety

2. Ability to Access & Transport Patient(s)

3. Use of Anchor Systems

4. Management of Emergencies

5. Litter Attendant Skills

6. Route Selection and Direction Changes

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MINIMUM STANDARDS AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR MRA ACCREDITATION/RE-ACCREDITATION (Policy 103.1, 6-20-10 revised) 103.1L

7. Communication among Participants in Evacuation

8. Medical Care M. Field Exercise: Wilderness Search The mock Wilderness Search operation is designed to

evaluate the team's ground search capabilities. The location for the search operation is chosen by the applicant, and the problem is designed by the evaluation team. During this portion of accreditation/re-accreditation, these areas will be considered:

1. Safety

2. Pre-Plan

3. Mission Size Up

4. Communication, including;

a. Call Out Procedures

b. Organization c. Radio Procedures

5. Interviewing and Intelligence Gathering

6. Clue and Track Awareness

7. Containment

8. Strategy

9. Medical Skills and Care

10. Briefing and Debriefing of Field Teams

11. Management of Additional Resources

12. Familiarity with Incident Management Systems

N. Discussion of Past Search Operations The presentation of a past search operation is used to

evaluate a team's previous operational performance. The search should be of a scale in which the team was called upon to work with resources outside their own organization. The presentation should include: background and investigation leading up to the operation, operational plan for the mission, execution of operation and a self-critique. These areas will also be considered:

1. Safety

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MINIMUM STANDARDS AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR MRA ACCREDITATION/RE-ACCREDITATION (Policy 103.1, 6-20-10 revised) 103.1N

2. Pre-Plan

3. Mission Size-Up 4. Communications, including;

a. Call out Procedures

b. Organization

c. Radio Procedures

5. Interviewing and Intelligence gathering

6. Clue and track Awareness

7. Containment

8. Strategy

9. Medical Skills and Care

10. Briefing and Debriefing of Field Teams

11. Management of Additional Resources

12. Familiarity with Incident Management Systems

O. Field Exercise: Technical Snow and Ice Rescue The Snow and Ice Operations portion of the

evaluation is designed to test the team's ability to function in the alpine environment. The site for snow operations portion is selected by the applicant team and the problem is designed by the evaluation team. The following elements will be evaluated:

1. Safety

2. Incident Assessment and Response

3. Use of Snow & Ice Anchor Systems

4. Avalanche Rescue

5. Medical Care in the Alpine Environment

6. Ability to Access & Transport Patient(s)

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PROCEDURE FOR RE-ACCREDITATION PROCEDURES (Policy 104, 06-20-10 revised)

Background Accredited member teams must renew their accreditation to remain within that membership category. The following policies are meant to cover the re-accreditation of member teams in good standing. Policy 104. A. Term Accreditation and re-accreditation is good for five years from the date granted. They must

be renewed every five years. B. Standards Each region shall establish its own standards for re-accreditation, which must comply

with MRA bylaws and policies. C. Report Each region shall report on the re-accreditation status of its member teams to the

Membership Chair as required by the Chair. The Chair shall submit a report on the status of all accredited teams at the annual meeting of the Board of Directors.

D. Procedure for Re-accreditation Teams which meet the re-accreditation standards as per Policy

103.1 E, F1-8, G, I, J, K, L, M, O are automatically re-accredited, unless the Board of Directors takes a different action. Teams which have not met the re-accreditation standards shall be reported to the Board of Directors. The Board may extend the period for re-accreditation, require re-testing, withdraw the team's accreditation, recommend that the team's membership be revoked, or take other action as may be appropriate.

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PERSONNEL GUIDELINES (Policy 105, 6-20-99 revised)

Background Policy 101 establishes minimum skills guidelines for team membership in the Mountain Rescue Association. These guidelines apply to member teams. Each membership classification requires that member teams have a certain number of Rescue Members and Support Members, as defined in the policy. In order to more clearly establish guidelines for team members, this policy sets forth guidelines that each team should consider in determining the competency of its members for the purposes of MRA accreditation and re-accreditation. This policy does not require that member teams identify these classifications within their own team structure. Each team will be responsible for testing the qualifications of team members. Policy 105. A. Purpose The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for team membership in the

Mountain Rescue Association. B. Applicability This policy is applicable to all field members of member teams. Field members are

defined as persons who participate in the physical aspects of search and rescue operations, especially where it may be required to travel on foot beyond roads or the conveniences of civilization.

NOTE: Titles are further explained in the appendix to bring consistency with FEMA, IMS, and NFPA terminology. (6-20-99) C. Rescue Member A Rescue Member should meet all of the following guidelines: 1. Minimum one year's experience in mountain search and rescue.

2. Physically capable of full participation in all search and rescue operations normally expected of the member team.

3. Meets minimum participation requirements of the member team and the region for training

and operations.

4. Adequately equipped to conduct search and rescue operations in the terrain and under the conditions found in the member team's service area, and to be self-sustaining in the field under such conditions a minimum of three days.

5. Able to lead a search or rescue field team, and to organize and conduct a wilderness search

or rescue using non-trained personnel.

6. Has participated in training sufficient to acquire the following knowledge and skills, or has demonstrated such skills, to the level required by the local unit:

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PERSONNEL GUIDELINES (Policy 105, 6-20-99 revised) 105C a. Search Procedures, including:

1) Initial request for assistance, determining urgency of response, and initiating call-out.

2) Call-out procedures. 3) Incident Command System and local search management procedures. 4) Search planning and strategy, including probability analysis.

5) Search tactics and operations, including confinement, trail blocks, attraction, hasty search, line search, grid search.

6) Tracking. 7) Wilderness navigation and travel. 8) Night search. 9) Radio communications. 10) ELT search. 11) Use of GPS (6-20-99) 12) Wilderness survival and survival techniques for the local area. 13) Helicopter use and safety b. Technical Rock Rescue Procedures, including: 1) Knowledge of rescue equipment. 2) Rescue planning and preparations. 3) Knots, ropes, webbing, rope and webbing characteristics and handling. 4) Anchors. 5) Belaying. 6) Ascending and descending a rope. 7) Rock climbing (able to lead fourth class climb). 8) Patient packaging and litter rigging. 9) Rigging and operating raising and lowering systems. 10) Highline rigging and operating. 11) Low-angle or scree evacuation. 12) Improvised rescue techniques. 13) Helicopter use and safety

c. Snow and Ice Rescue Techniques, including:

1) Knowledge of winter search and rescue equipment and its use. 2) Travel over snow and ice, and in any winter conditions found in service

area. 3) Self-arrests. 4) Roped team travel. 5) Glissading. 6) Snow and ice anchors and belays. 7) Steep snow climbing with crampons and ice ax. 8) Patient packaging under winter conditions. 9) Litter rigging, raising and lowering on steep snow. 10) Avalanche safety and rescue. 11) Glacier travel and crevasse rescue. 12) Winter survival. 13) Helicopter use and safety.

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PERSONNEL GUIDELINES (Policy 105, 6-20-99 revised) 105D NOTE: Titles are further explained in the appendix to bring consistency with FEMA, IMS & NFPA terminology. (6-20-99) D. Support Member A Support Member should meet all of the following guidelines:

1. Familiar with the search and rescue techniques and procedures included in Policy 105.C.6.

2. Capable of assisting in ground search and rescue operations to the level of competency required by the member team.

3. Maintains minimum participation requirements of the member team and the local region for

search and rescue operations and training.

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Official Policies of the Mountain Rescue Association POLICY 105.1

MRA NATIONAL COMPLIANCY GUIDELINE

(1-22-06)

Background These guidelines apply to accredited member teams seeking the “MRA National Compliancy Guideline” which facilitates NIMS (National Incident Management System) and EMAC (Emergency Mutual Aid Compact) compliance. Each membership classification requires that member teams have a certain number of Rescue (Technician) Members and Support (Operational) Members, as defined in policy. In order to more clearly establish guidelines for team members, this policy sets forth guidelines that each team shall meet by determining the competency of its members. This policy does not require that member teams identify these particular classifications (position titles) within their own team structure. Each team will be responsible for testing the qualifications of team members. Policy 105.1 A. Purpose The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for accredited team membership in

the Mountain Rescue Association under the “MRA National Compliancy Guideline” for facilitation of NIMS and EMAC compliance.

B. Applicability This policy is applicable to all field members of accredited member teams seeking this accreditation distinction. Field members are defined as persons who participate in the physical aspects of search and rescue operations, especially where it may be required to travel on foot beyond roads or the conveniences of civilization.

C. Working Environment In disaster and non-disaster settings, searches and rescues of those in

trouble in wilderness*, or mountainous environments, or environments usually greater than 25 degrees inclination, or wherever rope systems or three points of contact are commonly necessary, and includes snow or ice covered terrain, crevasse, backcountry, and alpine SAR.

D. Definitions

1. Knowledge (K). Organized body of information, usually factual, presented to the person. 2. Skills (S). Proficient manual, verbal or mental manipulation of data or things. 3. Abilities (A). To perform an observable activity within a given time. 4. *The “wilderness” context is defined here;

a. beyond a trailhead or eyesight distance of a backcountry 2wd road

(approximately 200 feet);

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MRA NATIONAL COMPLIANCY GUIDELINE (Policy 105.1, 1-22-06) 105.1D

b. anywhere the local infrastructure has been compromised enough to experience wilderness-type conditions; i.e., remote from public infrastructure support services, poor to no medical services or potable water, compromised public safety buildings or communications systems;

c. Prolonged treatment, extrication, evacuation or transport issues exist

(greater than 2 hours) including operations such as law enforcement tactical unit operations, hurricanes, earthquakes and bombings using explosive devices where wilderness techniques are useful;

d. E.g., city, county, state or national recreational areas or parks with

mountains, trails or areas they define as wilderness. Incident examples: Space Shuttle Columbia recovery; Katrina flood areas.

E. Team Responsibilities;

1. Each team shall maintain a database or records of individual certifications/verifications of

current knowledge, skills, abilities, medical fitness and physical fitness. 2. Each accredited team shall have a medical fitness requirement including recurrency for

all field members. 3. Each accredited team shall have a physical fitness requirement including recurrency for

all field members.

F. All field members shall meet all of the following requirements;

1. Background check per the requirement of the local jurisdiction

2. Identifiable uniform or marker subject to local requirement or environment

3. Minimum age requirement based on local jurisdiction

4. Maintain a policy on drug and alcohol use, dependency and abuse; sexual harassment; and cultural, race, sex and age sensitivity

5. Re-currency of individual skills and abilities every 3 years.

6. All field members should be at a minimum of “awareness” level in Search, Technical

Rock, and Snow and Ice.

7. Meets minimum participation requirements of the member team and the region for training and operations.

8. Current Basic First Aid training or equivalent and Bloodborne and Airborne Pathogens-

Infection Control training for all field responders.

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MRA NATIONAL COMPLIANCY GUIDELINE (Policy 105.1, 1-22-06) 105.1G G. “AWARENESS” level member is defined as the ability to recognize the hazards and risks in the

given situation or environment (Search, Technical Rock, Snow and Ice, Disaster, WMD, etc.) and be able to request appropriate resources.

H. MOUNTAIN SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONAL MEMBER (AKA: Support

Member)

1. Position description.

a. Usually operates under the supervision of a Mountain SAR Technician, whose primary function is to assist and support in searches and rescues of those in trouble in wilderness*, or mountainous environments, or environments usually greater than 25 degrees inclination, or wherever rope systems or three points of contact are commonly necessary, and includes snow or ice covered terrain, crevasse, backcountry, and alpine SAR.

b. Able to respond into the field and back country, and initially assess and possibly

access easily reached subjects in non-technical terrain, in one or more of the categories of Search, Technical Rock, and Snow and Ice under technician section.

c. Usually does not perform any operation or rescue alone and usually would not

lead a crew.

2. Requirements;

a. Capable of supporting and assisting in all areas under “General” under technician section.

b. Capable of supporting and assisting in one or more areas under “Search”,

Technical Rock” and/or “Snow and Ice” under technician section. I. MOUNTAIN SEARCH AND RESCUE (MSAR) TECHNICIAN (AKA: Rescue Member).

1. Teams may develop subcategories of “technician” with Type I being the highest level and

Type V being the lowest.

2. Position description: Member whose primary function is to perform searches for and rescues of those in trouble in wilderness*, or mountainous environments, or environments usually greater than 25 degrees inclination, or wherever rope systems or three points of contact are commonly necessary, and includes snow or ice covered terrain, crevasse, backcountry, and alpine SAR. Higher levels of technicians may supervise crews.

3. Requirements;

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MRA NATIONAL COMPLIANCY GUIDELINE (Policy 105.1, 1-22-06) 105.1I

a. Minimum one year's experience in mountain search and rescue. b. Physically capable of full participation in all search and rescue operations

normally expected of the member team. c. Adequately equipped to conduct search and rescue operations in the terrain and

under the conditions found in the member team's service area, and to be self-sustaining in the field under such conditions a minimum of three days.

d. Able to lead a search or rescue field team, and to organize and conduct a

wilderness search or rescue using non-trained personnel. e. Has participated in training sufficient to acquire the following knowledge and

skills, or has demonstrated such skills, to the level required by the local unit.

f. General

i. (K) SAR Overview: local, regional, state and national SAR systems and jurisdictions

ii. (K) Working with other agencies and jurisdictions

iii. (K) Legal aspects of SAR and SAR-EMS, including risk, liability,

insurance, and injury and death compensation

iv. (K) SAR-related standards

v. (K) SAR Ethics, including dealing with families, confidentiality, media

vi. (K) Differences between Urban and Wilderness/Mountain search, and rescue

vii. (K) Awareness of basic hazards, risk assessment, safety and mitigation

in wilderness and mountain environments, including proper lifting (S), animals, possible criminals-armed subjects

viii. (K, S, A) Team and crew safety issues

ix. (K, S) Driving safety

x. (K, S, A) Operating equipment safely

xi. (K, S, A) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Survival and other

Equipment, including clothing for 4 seasons

xii. (K, S, A) Personal and team physical, medical and behavioral health, fitness, limitations, nutrition, hydration, rest, sleep, clothing, environment/thermoregulation, hygiene and sanitation

xiii. (K) Wilderness and mountain weather

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xiv. (K) SAR Incident tactics, on-scene mission critique, demobilization, return travel, after action reports, lessons learned sharing and follow through

xv. (K) SAR member stress mitigation, including de-stressing and

debriefing

xvi. (K) Investigative and legal aspects, and crime scene, scent article and evidence protection

xvii. (K) Handling human remains and the deceased

xviii. (K) Basic safety awareness for search around swift- and flood water,

underground spaces

xix. (K) HazMat awareness, including drug labs/plantations, based on needs of the response area

xx. (K) Documentation and record keeping of SAR and SAR-EMS

incidents

xxi. (K, S, A) For emergency drivers: emergency vehicle operations safety xxii. (K) Disaster-specific components as needed: awareness or greater level

in WMD, terrorism, collapse, etc.

xxiii. Helicopter Operations.

I. (K) Department of Interior, Office of Aviation Management (DOI OAM) B-3 or equivalent

II. (K) Uses and types of aircraft in SAR

III. (K, S, A) Communications on board, ground to air, rescuer to air, and

air to air

IV. (K, S, A) LZ Management

V. (K, S, A) Night Operations

VI. (K) Introduction to External Loads and/ or Higher Risk Methods

VII. (K,S,A) Performance of External Load operations and higher risk methods, if performed by local team

g. Search Operations, including

i. (K) Initial request for assistance, determining urgency of response, and initiating call-out.

ii. (K) Call-out procedures.

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iii. (K) Incident Command System and local search management procedures.

iv. (K) Search planning and strategy, including probability analysis.

v. (K, S, A) Search tactics and operations, including confinement, trail blocks,

attraction, hasty search, line search, grid search.

vi. (K, S, A) Tracking.

vii. (K, S, A) Wilderness navigation and travel.

viii. (K, S, A) Night search.

ix. (K, S, A) Radio communications.

x. (K, S, A) ELT search.

xi. (K, S, A) Use of GPS

xii. (K, S, A) Wilderness survival and survival techniques for the local area.

xiii. (K) Recognizing possible child abduction situations or incidents involving a crime

xiv. (K) Lost persons behavior, including adults, children, elderly

xv. (K) Suspension of a search

h. Technical Rock Rescue Operations, including:

i. (K) Knowledge of rescue equipment.

ii. (K) Rescue planning and preparations

iii. (K, S, A) Knots, ropes, webbing, rope and webbing characteristics and handling

iv. (K, S, A) Anchors.

v. (K, S, A) Belaying.

vi. (K, S, A) Ascending and descending a rope.

vii. (K, S, A) Rock climbing (able to lead fourth class climb).

viii. (K, S, A) Patient packaging and litter rigging.

ix. (K, S, A) Rigging and operating raising and lowering systems.

x. (K,S,A) Highline rigging and operating.

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xi. (K, S, A) Low-angle or scree evacuation.

xii. (K, S, A) Improvised rescue techniques.

xiii. (K) Animal technical rescue awareness, if performed by local team

i. Snow and Ice Rescue Operations, including:

i. (K) Knowledge of winter search and rescue equipment and its use.

ii. (K, S, A) Travel over snow and ice, and in any winter conditions found in service area.

iii. (K, S, A) Self-arrests.

iv. (K, S, A) Roped team travel.

v. (K, S, A) Glissading.

vi. (K, S, A) Snow and ice anchors and belays.

vii. (K, S, A) Steep snow climbing with crampons and ice ax.

viii. (K, S, A) Patient packaging under winter conditions.

ix. (K, S, A) Litter rigging, raising and lowering on steep snow.

x. (K, S, A) Avalanche safety and rescue.

xi. (K, S, A) Glacier travel and crevasse rescue.

xii. (K, S, A) Winter survival. J. MOUNTAIN RESCUE OPERATIONS CHIEF (AKA Operations Leader).

1. Position description. A member whose primary function is to supervise or manage searches and rescues and provide leadership, and for the wellness and safety of team members.

2. Requirements;

a. Currently or previously qualified at the Mountain SAR Technician level

b. Recommended 5 or more years in the technical search and rescue field c. Has participated in training sufficient to acquire the following knowledge and skills, or has

demonstrated such knowledge or skills;

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MRA NATIONAL COMPLIANCY GUIDELINE (Policy 105.1, 1-22-06) 105.1J

i. (K) Incident management at the section chief or command level, including for missions, drills, and on site stand-bys (may be at crew leader level for some units)

ii. (K) Leadership development, including general knowledge of;

I. Span of control

II. Remaining leadership oriented vs. task oriented

III. Delegation of tasks and duties

IV. Group personality dynamics

V. Incident critiques

VI. Recognizing defusing and debriefing needs (stress related)

iii. (K) General management concepts of search/ lost person incidents

iv. (K) Roles of local, state and federal agencies and associations in SAR

v. (K) Effective relationships with local co-responding agencies and units

vi. (K) Awareness of legal aspects of dealing with suspects and evidence

vii. (K) Units’ bylaws, policies and procedures

viii. (K) Applicable local laws and SAR authority policies and procedures

ix. (K) MRA and Regional policies and procedures relating to the field, such as accreditation

and personnel guidelines

x. (K) Mission paperwork, including AAC, IKAR and MRA reporting

xi. (K) Local unit’s field leader duties and responsibilities

xii. (K) Risk awareness in the following; mountain SAR operations, helicopters, and rescue methods

xiii. (K) Integrating effective EMS into SAR operations

xiv. The unit may determine that the Operations Chief should have instruction, knowledge or

skills in these areas, based on their local needs or requirements;

I. (K) Administrative handling and processing of unit member injuries, exposures and insurance matters

II. (K) Dealing with victims’ families and significant others

III. (K) Media relations awareness

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MRA NATIONAL COMPLIANCY GUIDELINE (Policy 105.1, 1-22-06) 105.1J

IV. (K) Awareness of effective relations with, and nurturing and support of, the local

SAR authority

V. (K, S, A) Effective teaching techniques/ Instructor workshop

VI. (K, S, A) Subjective leadership and effectiveness areas 3. An “In Town”, or “Administrative“ Operations Chief title is encouraged not only for active

Operations Chiefs, but also for field experienced command staff who are retiring from the field, but are deemed by unit leadership as still effective in command post or non-field related activities.

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EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE (EMS) GUIDELINES (Policy 106, 6-94 revised)

Background Emergency medical service (EMS) guidelines are adopted to provide a level of care available to patients treated by member teams in the field. These guidelines may also be used by teams when establishing training outlines and medical training certification requirements. Policy 106. A. Skills Available The following skills should be available to each patient. Each team may elect to

train each team member, or only a portion of the team membership, provided each patient is cared for by a team member appropriately trained. Other skills and topics should be included according to the Team's service area and needs.

B. Medical Advisor Each team is encouraged to have a Medical Advisor who is a physician with

appropriate training and interest. C. Authority Each team is encouraged to coordinate with the local EMS authority as an EMS

provider. D. Included Topics and Skills The following topics and skills should be available through training

provided to those members authorized to treat patients. Each skill is followed by the reason it is included in the skill list.

1. Hazards: Recognition of accident scene hazards. (Team and environment specific based

on circumstances encountered.)

2. Anatomy and physiology: Basic anatomy and physiology, including functional and surface anatomy. (Basic skill)

3. Primary survey: (Basic skill)

4. Secondary survey: (Basic skill)

5. Vital signs: obtain and significance. (Basic skill)

6. Breathing: Recognize and treat airway and ventilation problems, including removing

obstructions, oral suctioning, oral/nasal airways, and respitory support. (Basic skill: Immediate problem which cannot wait for more skilled personnel.)

7. Bleeding: Control of bleeding. (Basic skill: Immediate problem which cannot wait for

more skilled personnel.)

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EMS GUIDELINES (Policy 106, 6-94 revised) 106D 8. Shock: Recognize and treat shock. (Basic skill) 9. Soft Tissue Injuries: Recognize and treat soft tissue injuries, including basic dressings and

bandaging. (Basic skill)

10. Internal injuries: Recognize internal injuries, including blunt or penetrating abdominal and chest trauma. (Basic skill need to recognize severity of injury.)

11. Consciousness: Recognize and care for patients with altered level of consciousness. (Basic

skill)

12. Fractures: Recognize open/closed fractures and dislocations. Recognize vascular compromise secondary to fractures or dislocations. Splinting and immobilization using field equipment. (Basic skills needed to prepare the patient for transport and recognize limb-threatening injury.)

13. Head and Facial Injuries: Recognize and care for facial injuries, head injuries and spinal

injuries. Proper spinal immobilization with appropriate field equipment. (Basic skill: Needed for evacuation.)

14. Burns: Recognize and care for all degrees of burns. Recognize signs and symptoms of

pulmonary burns. (Basic skill)

15. Cold Injuries: Recognize and treat hypothermia and frostbite. Treatment according to team equipment and Team Medical Advisor. (Skill specific to Mountain Rescue. Use of re-warming devices at discretion of Team Medical Advisor and EMS authority.)

16. Heat Injuries: Recognize and treat hyperthermia. (Specific to Mountain Rescue.)

17. High Altitude Illness: Recognize and treat high altitude illness. Treatment according to

team equipment and Team Medical Advisor. (Skill specific to Mountain Rescue. Use of hyperbaric chamber and oxygen at discretion of Team Medical Advisor and EMS authority.)

18. Bites and Stings: Recognize and treat snakebite and arthropod envenomation. (More

specific to Mountain Rescue. Antivenin at discretion of Team Medical Advisor and EMS authority.)

19. Litter rigging: Litter packaging and rigging. Appropriate to field and team equipment.

(Specific to Mountain Rescue. Oriented to Team needs.)

20. Oxygen therapy: By approval of Team Medical Advisor and EMS authority. (Basic skill)

21. Legal aspects: including nonfeasance, malfeasance, misfeasance, consent, abandonment. Documentation of patient care. (Basic skill)

22. Death: Recognition of death. Protocol for not attempting resuscitation. (More important

for Mountain Rescue due to logistic and transport problems.)

23. CPR: Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation at the EMS Provider level.

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EMS GUIDELINES (Policy 106, 6-94 revised) 106D

24. Control Infection: Infectious control precautions.

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REGION CREATION AND BOUNDARIES (Policy 201, 1-19-03 revised) Background. Article III.1 of the MRA Bylaws states: "Establishment: Members shall be grouped geographically into Regions of the MRA. Region boundaries shall be established by the Board of Directors, which shall give due deference to political boundaries." These policies establish the method and procedure for establishing and disestablishing regions, delineating the boundaries of new regions, and changing the boundaries of existing regions. They also delineate the current region boundaries. Policy 201. A. Boundary Formation Policies. Region boundaries shall be established using the following

policies as guidelines:

1. Wherever possible, the creation and formation of a region should be promulgated by the affected member teams, responding to their own self-interests. The boundaries should be worked out among the teams proposing to establish the region and the existing region or regions from which the new region would be formed. Such mutual accommodation should also apply to a change of boundaries between existing regions. If a dispute arises in drawing boundaries which cannot be resolved by the parties, the MRA Board of Directors shall determine the eventual boundaries.

2. Region boundaries shall coincide, wherever possible, with state boundaries of the various

states of United States of America Regions may include more than one state. International regions should follow national boundaries.

3. Where region boundaries must follow other than state lines, they should follow the

boundaries of state political subdivisions such as counties or cities. Other considerations may be geographic features, the operational service area of teams, travel time between teams, or cultural similarities.

4. Regions should be small enough that member units may regularly participate in region

meetings and activities, and can assist each other on joint operations.

5. Regions should be large enough to contain at least three regular or accredited ex-officio teams. This requirement may be waived where the number of teams in an existing region falls below three.

6. Region boundaries may be redrawn upon a change of conditions, including the

distribution of members and the formation of new regions. Where the boundaries between existing regions are proposed to be changed, the regions involved should attempt to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement. If such an agreement cannot be reached, the Board of Directors shall decide.

7. The name of the region should reflect the predominant jurisdictional or geographical

identity associated with the region's area.

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REGIONS (Policy 201, 1-09-11 revised) 201B B. Boundary Formation Procedures Unless otherwise regulated by the MRA Bylaws or Policy

201A, the following procedures shall be used to create or change region boundaries:

1. Regardless of the origin of the request, any proposal to create a new region and/or change the boundary of an existing region shall be forwarded to the President and the Board of Directors.

2. The President shall notify the Chair of all regions of the proposed boundary change.

3. Any region having an interest in the boundary change will be invited to submit a report

and recommendation to the Board of Directors prior to action on the boundary change.

4. The Board of Directors shall vote on the proposal as provided in the bylaws and policies. C. Current Region Boundaries. The following states, portions of states, or other geographical

areas, are incorporated in the following regions: 1. Alaska Region: Alaska.

2. Appalachian Region: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio.

3. California Region: California including the following Nevada counties: Carson City,

Douglas, Esmeralda, Lyon, Mineral, Storey and Washoe. 4. Desert Mountain Region: Arizona and Clark County, Nevada (6-15-95).

5. Inter-Mountain Region: Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Nevada excluding the following Nevada counties: Carson City, Douglas, Esmeralda, Lyon, Mineral, Storey and Washoe.

6. Oregon Region: Oregon. 7. Rocky Mountain Region: Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico 8. Washington Region: Washington.

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ORGANIZATION OF REGIONS (Policy 202, 3-24-99 revised) Background Article III, Section 3, of the MRA bylaws states: "Organization. Regions shall adopt Bylaws, subject to Board of Directors approval, and be governed accordingly. Regions may permit ex-officio members or associate members, or both, to vote. Regions may permit regional officers other than the region chair to be members of ex-officio or associate members. Each region shall elect a region chair and such other officers as it may deem appropriate." This policy expands on the above bylaw and adds additional guidelines relating to regions. Policy 202. A. Legal Status Regions are formed to benefit member teams. Typical purposes are: to establish

mutual aid procedures, to develop techniques and equipment suited to region needs, to maintain MRA standards within the region, and to deal with state agencies. Regions have no legal existence apart from the MRA. Regions should not incorporate unless required by state law. Regions shall not have the power or authority to obligate the MRA in any manner whatsoever, whether financially or otherwise.

B. Region Bylaws Each region must adopt bylaws regulating how they are organized and governed.

New or substantially changed region bylaws must be submitted to the MRA Board of Directors for approval. Minor amendments or changes may be made without Board approval, unless they are appealed by an interested party. Region bylaws should comply with the state laws of the state or states in which they are formed. As mentioned, regions may permit members of ex-officio and associate team to be region officers (except the region Chair). Ex-officio and associate teams may also be permitted to vote at Region meetings.

C. Assets While regions may acquire and dispose of assets, including money, such assets are held in

trust for the benefit of the MRA, subject to approval of the Board of Directors. Unless required for extraordinary emergency purposes, the Board of Directors should not use the assets of regions for MRA purposes. Upon dissolution of a region, its assets shall be divested according to MRA policy or action, or as may be required by region bylaws or state law.

D. Relation to MRA Region officers and representatives should act in the best interests of MRA

when dealing with the public within their regions. Region representatives cannot obligate MRA in any way, and any statements they make should reflect MRA policy. Questions concerning national MRA policy should be referred to the President. Region governing boards should not take actions which are contrary to MRA national policy, which usurp MRA powers or authority, or which tend to benefit regions to the detriment of the MRA.

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REGIONS (Policy 202, 3-24-99 revised) 202E E. Region Responsibilities MRA bylaws and policies give regions certain authority for carrying

out MRA procedures. Following are some of the responsibilities imposed on regions, concurrent with that authority:

1. Accreditation and Re-accreditation Regions are responsible for the training, testing,

and accreditation of applicant teams, and for the re-accreditation of member teams, subject to approval of the Board of Directors, as stated in MRA Bylaws and policy. This duty also includes assisting applicant teams and filing necessary reports associated with accreditation. Regions should adopt written policies and procedures for conducting accreditation and re-accreditation tests, and should follow such procedures in the accreditation process.

2. Information Regions should provide information on region activities to member teams

and to the MRA. Especially important is filing region reports with the MRA newsletter.

3. Coordination Regions should coordinate region activities and events. Regions should be involved in coordinating communications equipment, frequencies, and procedures. Where necessary, regions should coordinate mutual aid response procedures.

4. Joint Operations Regions are not expected to be "operational" in the sense of

responding as a region to requests for assistance; however those regions which do elect to develop procedures for mutual assistance must continue the necessary coordination as long as the procedure is in effect. Joint operation procedures should be developed to clearly set forth the steps taken during an operation.

5. Cooperation and Standardization Regions should encourage cooperation,

standardization, and mutual support among member units in order to provide effective mountain search and rescue services to agencies requesting assistance.

6. Representation Regions should be represented at MRA meetings and events, either by

officers representing the regions or alternates as approved. Each region must also elect a Chair, as required in the MRA bylaws.

F. Region Officers Responsibilities (3-24-99) Regional officers are elected or appointed by the

regional units. Each region may have slightly different schedules, term lengths, and number of regional officers. The Region Chair, director or directors, are liaisons and conduits between region units and the MRA.

1. The Vice President of the MRA shall be responsible for updating this procedure, the

manual, and for ensuring region chairs have a current copy of manual contents, as needed.

2. The Region Chair oversees or is responsible for the following (these may be delegated);

a. Communicates with the Vice President and is a focal point of contact by the officers for regional matters

b. Oversees additional regional responsibilities per policy 202E

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REGIONS (Policy 202, 3-24-99 revised) 202F c. Maintains MRA standards in the region

d. When requested, liaisons with state agencies on behalf of region units

e. Coordinates regional meetings and other activities

f. Encourages each unit to complete and turn in unit statistics each year

g. Completes an annual report for the January and June meetings, and for the

FORUM, including; 1) Membership, Accreditation, and Re-accreditation records for the past 6

months 2) Updates and recommendations regarding all applicant units 3) Notable mission highlights and trends 4) Notable issues in the region, including; a) SAR Litigation and legislation b) Relationships with SAR Authorities c) Equipment or systems testing d) Mutual aid issues between teams and other agencies 5) At each January meeting, an accounting of regional moneys

h. Submits new regional bylaws, policies, accreditation and re-accreditation procedures and checklists annually to the MRA Clearinghouse and encourages all regional units to do the same

i. Oversees regional accreditations, reaccreditations and membership matters in

conjunction with the MRA Membership Chair

k. If requested, may assist the host unit(s), for any MRA meetings to held in the region

l. Attends or sends a representative to MRA meetings

m. May get a proxy to represent units in his/ her region which are absent from MRA

meetings

3. New Regional Officer Orientation. Each new region officer shall be offered an orientation by the MRA officers, at, or any time between MRA meetings. The orientation and manual should include;

a. Articles of Incorporation, and current Bylaws and Policies 1) Review duties 2) Review regional and accreditation sections

b. IRS Determination letter & tax ID # of the MRA

c. Membership Applicant starter kit and process

d. “This is the MRA“ Overhead packet

e. Winter and Spring Meeting Planners

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REGIONS (Policy 202, 3-24-99 revised) 202F

f. MRA Directory & Change of Region Officer Status Form

g. How to get onto the MRA officer’s and general e-mail list server

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DISSOLUTION OF REGION (06/12/94)

Policy 203. A. Reasons for Dissolution Regions may be dissolved for any of the following reasons:

1. Absorption by existing or new region or regions.

2. Change of boundaries resulting in elimination of the region.

3. Mutual agreement of the member teams in the region, according to the region's bylaws or other procedural agreement.

4. Through action of the MRA Board of Directors.

B. Procedure for Dissolution of Region and Distribution of Assets

1. A proposal for dissolution of a region shall be submitted to the affected region's governing body with sufficient time for the governing body to investigate the proposal and make a recommendation to the MRA Board of Directors. The proposal shall also be submitted to the MRA Board of Directors.

2. The proposal shall be voted on as prescribed in the MRA Bylaws and policies, except that

the vote required for dissolution shall be 2/3 of the membership.

3. In event of dissolution, region assets shall accrue to the MRA, except as may otherwise be required by the region's bylaws or law.

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MEETING DATES AND PLACES (Policy 301, 6-24-07 revised) Policy 301. A. Setting of Dates The dates of the meetings of the MRA Board of Directors shall be set by the

Board or the President, as provided below, and shall not be changed by the host team. Meeting dates may only be changed by the Board at the previous Board meeting, but not less than five months in advance of the meeting.

B. Meeting Dates Except as otherwise provided, the Board of Directors shall meet on the following

dates:

1. The annual meeting will be held in June (1/21/01).

2. The winter meeting will be held in January (6/24/07). C. Setting of Locations The following procedure will be used to determine the location of

meetings.

1. The winter meeting will be held at a location determined by the President, in conjunction with a local host team.

2. The annual meeting will be held at a location determined by the Board of Directors. Any

team or region wishing to host the annual meeting must extend its invitation at least one year in advance of the date. The invitation should include the tentative meeting place and the tentative arrangements for lodging and transportation. If more than one invitation is received, the Board of Directors should decide on the meeting place based on the merits of the invitations. The meeting location should be confirmed by the host and the Board at least six months before the annual meeting date, or by the previous meeting date, if it is more than six months before the annual meeting.

3. The general location of the annual meeting shall not be changed less than six months

before the meeting date. If the meeting place must be changed because of an emergency, the host team should provide an alternate place in the same general area.

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MEETING ARRANGEMENTS (06/12/94)

Policy 302. A. Advance Notice The host will mail to all members advance notice of the meeting with their

tentative program four months before the meeting. B. Final Notice The host will mail to all members complete information on location, cost,

transportation, program, etc., two months before the meeting. This mailing, or the previous mailing, may be included in the meeting packet sent out by the Secretary (below). If the host team does the mailing itself, it will be supplied by the Secretary with enough preaddressed and stamped envelopes to effect the mailing.

C. Meeting Place Requirements The host should attempt to secure a meeting place which can

accommodate at least 100 people during the general business meeting and which has reasonable hotel/motel accommodations nearby. Additional needs are: restaurant facilities, photocopying facilities, audio-visual aids including a diagramming board, and coffee break facilities. There also should be at least one separate room available for committee meetings.

D. Pre-Meeting Packet The Secretary will mail out a pre-meeting packet to include the agenda,

minutes of previous meeting, and proposals subject to voting at the meeting. The pre-meeting packet shall be sent not later than two months prior to the meeting.

E. Meeting Expenses The host team should establish a meeting fee which will cover the expenses

of the meeting. All income and expenses of the meeting should be handled by the host team, and no expenses should be charged to the MRA except those previously approved by the Board of Directors or the Officers Committee, or which normally occur as part of MRA business.

302


MEETING GUIDELINES (06/12/94)

Refer to Article V of the MRA bylaws and the publications "Annual Meeting Guidelines" and "Winter Meeting Guidelines" for more information on meetings. Policy 303. A. Guidelines Provided The Vice President will provide the host team a copy of the appropriate

meeting guidelines within 45 days after the meeting place has been approved according to Policy 301.3, above.

B. Program Any entertainment or information program scheduled by the host should be

coordinated with the Vice President, so that adequate time is allowed for the business meeting. C. Vendors The host team may permit vendors to display equipment or materials, and to sell such if

permitted by local law and the meeting location. All arrangements are the responsibility of the host team. Any fees paid by vendors to the host team should be used to help pay meeting expenses.

D. MRA Stores The MRA Stores shall be available at reasonable times during meetings for

purchase of MRA items. E. Special Events The organization of any major special events scheduled during the annual

meeting weekend, such as mountain climbs or rescue demonstrations, is the responsibility of the host team. Any fees required for such events, including transportation and food, should be clearly revealed in the Final Notice mailed to each team before the meeting. Optional alternative events may be described in general terms on the notice, with more detailed information available at the meeting. It is desirable that activities should be available for spouses and others attending the annual meeting with delegates.

303


ELECTION OF OFFICERS (06/12/94)

(See Article VI, Section 1, of the MRA bylaws for more information on elections.) Policy 304. A. Time of Elections Election of officers will take place during the annual meeting. B. Nominating Committee A nominating committee shall be formed before the Winter Meeting

has adjourned. The nominating committee shall be comprised of the following individuals, provided they are willing and able to serve:

1. The immediate past President, who shall chair the committee. If he or she is unwilling or

unable to serve as chair, the chair shall be selected by the Officers Committee from a list of past Presidents who are willing to serve.

2. The current region chairs. C. Election Procedure The following procedure should be followed for election of officers:

1. The Nominating Committee shall survey eligible persons and shall nominate two persons for each position, if possible. If fewer than two persons are nominated, the committee shall explain the reason. The Nominating Committee's report shall be submitted to the President and the Secretary not less than three months prior to the election.

2. The report of the Nominating Committee shall be distributed to the membership not less

than two months prior to the election.

3. The Nominating Committee shall submit its report at the annual meeting. The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall chair the elections. The Secretary will determine those persons eligible to vote, including proxies, according to MRA bylaws and policy.

4. The Nominating Committee Chair shall announce the candidates for President and shall

then open the floor to nominations. Any delegate may nominate any eligible candidate, however the candidate must agree to the nomination, verbally or in writing, before his or her name is placed in nomination. Nominations from the floor do not require a second. When no further nominations are received from the floor, the Chair shall accept a motion to close the nominations. If the motion is successful, the nominations will be closed. If only one person has been nominated, the chair will accept a motion of unanimous consent, which, if passed, will serve to elect that person as President.

5. Candidates shall be offered an opportunity to make a statement before the vote.

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ELECTIONS (06/12/94) 304C 6. The vote will be by secret ballot by those eligible to vote. The Nominating Committee

Chair will collect the ballots, count them, and immediately announce the results.

7. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, the two candidates having the largest number of votes will have a run-off between themselves. In event of a tie, the balloting will continue until one person receives a majority.

8. Voting will continue as described above, for the offices of Vice President,

Secretary/Treasurer, and the officers-at-large. The name of any candidate for a previous office who was not elected may be placed in nomination for a subsequent office.

9. Persons elected will take office immediately following the meeting at which they are

elected.

305


VOTING (06/12/94)

(See Bylaws, Articles II, IV and V) Policy 305. A. Eligible Voters Each Regular Member in good standing is entitled to one vote at Board of

Directors meetings. Votes may be cast by the authorized member delegate, by an authorized alternate or by a designated proxy. The delegate and alternate should be designated, in writing, by the team represented. Designation should be made on unit letterhead by the chief officer of the unit or the chair of the unit's Board of Directors. The alternate can only vote in the absence of the delegate. Any person present at the meeting and claiming to be the delegate or representative of a member unit may be permitted to vote in the absence of controversy over that persons' authority. If the person is challenged, he or she must produce satisfactory evidence of authority from the member unit.

B. Proxies

1. A member entitled to vote may do so either through a delegate or alternate, or by written proxy executed by the member and filed with the Secretary. Proxies shall be valid only for the meeting designated in the proxy.

2. All proxies should state the general nature of the matter to be voted on and the name of

the person who is entitled to vote the proxy. If the proxy is a blanket proxy for the carrier to vote for the member team on any matter, the proxy should so state. If the vote is for election of an officer, the proxy may state the name of the person for whom the vote should be cast, or may direct the proxy voter to vote in any other manner.

3. Only delegates or Region representatives may carry proxies. A delegate cannot carry

more than five proxies. A Region representative may carry one proxy for each Region voting member authorizing him or her to act on its behalf.

4. In the event of a challenge to the authority of the proxy, the Secretary shall rule on the

matter according to the evidence provided by the parties.

400


DUTIES OF OFFICERS (Policy 401, 3-24-99 revised) See Article VI of the MRA bylaws. Policy 401. A. President The President has the following duties, rights and responsibilities:

1. Preside at regular and special meetings of the Board of Directors, and of the Officers Committee.

2. Prepare agendas for all meetings. 3. Appoint the chairs of all committees. 4. Serve as ex-officio member of all committees. 5. Be the primary contact for the membership.

6. Notify/advise regions and members as necessary regarding issues pertinent to the membership.

7. Oversee the implementation of changes and new activities as directed by the Board of

Directors. 8. Officially represent the MRA, when appropriate. 9. Be responsible for mail and communications with other agencies. 10. Be responsible for the Public Relations Committee 11. Respond to inquiries regarding MRA. 12. Keep abreast of legislative issues. B. Vice President The Vice President has the following duties, rights and responsibilities: 1. Chair the Long Range/Strategic Planning Committee. 2. Keep accreditation records and monitor accreditation status of teams.

3. Monitor the Membership Committee. Coordinate membership responses to individuals and interested teams.

4. Administer Membership Services: a. Monitor MRA Stores.

401

OFFICERS (Policy 401, 3-24-99 revised) 401B

b. Respond to membership-related mail and inquiries.

c. Maintain and distribute information of national and regional trainings and activities.

d. Develop a Membership Packet to be sent to teams upon receipt of dues. A

modified version will be available to other officers for public relations use.

e. Assist host teams with planning meetings and trainings.

f. Update meeting planning manuals and provide to meeting host teams.

5. (3-24-99) Maintains contact with the Regional Officers, and maintains the Regional Officers’ Orientation program and manual (see Policy 202 F).

C. Secretary/Treasurer The Secretary/Treasurer has the following duties, rights and

responsibilities: 1. Take, publish and keep minutes of all official meetings. 2. Produce agendas for all official meetings. 3. Generate mailings as requested by officers, committee chairs, or as necessary. 4. Maintain filing system and records of the MRA. 5. Maintain database of membership. Provide mailing labels and produce MRA Directory. 6. Issue membership cards to all units in good standing.

7. Before March 1 of each year, send each member team an annual report form, to be filled out by the team and returned to the Secretary by May 1. Assemble completed forms and summarize the information in a report to be presented at the annual meeting in June.

8. Compile and distribute meeting packets prior to meetings. 9. Handle newsletter subscriptions.

10. Update the MRA bylaws and policies as revisions occur, and mail copies to all members

and regions. 11. Collect newsletters and other information from member teams and maintain on file.

12. Maintain the financial affairs of the MRA. This includes keeping a detailed record of income and expenses, collecting dues, distributing funds, and maintaining a general ledger for MRA.

402

OFFICERS (Policy 401, 3-24-99 revised) 401C 13. Prepare an annual financial report. The financial report shall include a starting balance,

receipts, expenditures, cash on hand, value of supply inventory on hand, accounts receivable, accounts payable and an ending balance.

14. Submit an up-to-date financial report at each Board meeting.

15. File proper tax forms with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. (Form 990A must be filed

each year with the District Director of Internal Revenue, Tacoma, Washington 98402, within 75 days after the December 31 close of the MRA fiscal year, to maintain non-profit status. (Do not file this form with any other District Director. If properly filed, no tax will be due.)

16. Before March 1 of each year, file a corporation report with the State of Washington, to

maintain non-profit corporation status.

17. Perform other duties normally incident to the office of Secretary/Treasurer, or as may be directed by the Board of Directors.

403


REMOVAL OF OFFICERS (06/12/94)

Policy 402.

A. Cause for Removal Officers of the MRA may be removed only for the following causes: 1. Resignation The officer has resigned his or her office, either verbally or in writing.

2. Incapacitation The officer is unable to perform his or her position due to physical or mental condition, or death.

3. Non-Performance The officer has not performed a substantial portion of the duties

required of the office, or has indicated that he or she will not do so in the future. The amount of time required to justify non-performance will depend on the circumstances presented.

4. Malfeasance Wrongful conduct by the officer, such that the reputation and status of the

MRA is seriously affected. This would also include failure to abide by the bylaws and policies of the MRA.

B. Procedure for Removal

1. Where removal of an officer is caused by resignation, the removal will become effective as of the date stated in the written resignation notice, or such other date as may be determined by the Board of Directors, on a majority vote, at a regular or special meeting.

2. Where removal of an officer is caused by incapacitation, non-performance, or

malfeasance, the following procedures shall be followed:

a. The information or charges shall be submitted to the officer and the Officer's Committee by the individual or group making the charges.

b. The officer shall be given an adequate opportunity to respond to the information

or charges.

c. The Board of Directors shall vote on the removal at a regular or special meeting. Voting shall be by secret ballot.

d. The officer may be removed by a vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast.

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OFFICERS COMMITTEE (Policy 501, 6-19-11 revised)

(See also Bylaws, Article VII, Section 1)

Policy 501.

A. Composition The Officers Committee shall consist of the three elected officers plus two othermembers, also elected by the Board of Directors. These two members shall be members ofregular member units in two different regions.

B. Powers and Duties The Officers Committee, convening in person or by telephone conference atthe request of the president, may take any action which might have been taken by the Board ofDirectors at any time that the Board of Directors is not meeting and is not scheduled to meet formore than thirty days. The Officers Committee shall not take any action reserved by law, or byMRA bylaws, to the membership or the Board of Directors, nor take any action directly contraryto an express decision previously made by the Board of Directors.

C. Board Review Any action taken by the Officers Committee shall be subject to review andpossible reversal or amendment by the Board of Directors.

D. Committee Report Any meeting of the Officers Committee shall be reported to the membershipwithin sixty days of the meeting. The report shall summarize the meeting and include any actionstaken by the committee.

E. Officer’s Orientation This has been developed in order to provide consistency in the orientationof new MRA officers. Orientation will be done by the returning President, Vice President ordesignee and shall include the following subjects;

1. The new officer shall read their officers duties description (Policy 401)

2. If needed, the new officer can order directly from our current vendor at cost to the MRA;

a. Business cards

b. Large name badge

3. If needed, from an officer, or from the vendor, at cost to the MRA;

a. 25 generic MRA greeting cards

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OFFICERS (Policy 501, 3-24-99 revised) 501E

b. 25 MRA letterhead and envelopes

c. MRA Golf shirt and/ or long sleeved shirt (own cost) 4. Copy of current Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and Policies

5. Copy of IRS letter and Tax ID #

6. Copy of current Directory, Catalogues, and rolodex cards

7. Membership Applicant and Corporate Membership packages

8. “This is the MRA“ Overhead packet

9. Winter and Spring Meeting Planners

10. Current copy of Robert’s Rules or Parliamentary Procedures currently used by the MRA

11. Phone Calls: reimbursement quarterly or via phone card for any MRA-related calls

12. Meeting Travel reimbursement: $XXX.00 per year (per current policy)

13. Arrange getting on to MRA officers’ and general email list server

14. As needed, minutes of last 2 meetings

502


MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEES (Policy 502, 2-02-14 revised) (see also Bylaws, Article VIII) Policy 502. A. Creation and Composition Committees may be created by the Board of Directors or the

President. The President shall appoint the chairs of all committees. The Secretary shall keep a record of committees and committee members. Committees may be inactive for an indefinite period of time. The Board of Directors shall have the power to dissolve committees.

B. Powers and Duties The Board of Directors may delegate the management of any of the property

of the MRA, and the performance of any of its several activities, to such committees as the Board of Directors may seem appropriate. All committees are considered to be advisory to the Board of Directors and may take no action affecting the MRA unless directed or approved by the Board of Directors or the President.

C. Sub-Committees Sub-committees of any membership committee may be created by the

committee chair. Sub-committees shall report to the main committee, except as may be directed by the Board of Directors.

D. Committee Assignments and Duties Unless directed otherwise, the following duties and

responsibilities are assigned to the mentioned committees:

1. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE AND CHAIR

a. Operates in conjunction with region officers and under the guidance of the Vice President

b. Oversees the initial and follow-up processing of all unit membership inquiries, including;

1) Sends information and application packets to prospective units 2) Reviews and processes all incoming applications 3) Oversees the entire application process

4) Makes the final recommendation for membership acceptance or rejection, in conjunction with the region chair, to the MRA

d. Is generally the conduit to recommend changes to existing Bylaws and Policies

regarding membership and accreditation procedures and matters.

503

COMMITTEES (Policy 502, 2-02-14 revised) 502D

e. Monitors and recommends dropping units for non-compliance with various

membership requirements (accreditation, re-accreditation, annual reporting, dues, etc.).

f. Arranges accreditation teams and re-accreditation teams for out of region and international accreditation, and upon the request of regions

g. Prescreens and selects national and international evaluators, and ensures their

orientation h. Provides biannual written reports of Accreditation, Re-accreditation status of

member units, and all pending Applications

2. COMMUNICATIONS

a. Act as trustee of the MRA radio licenses.

b. Assist member units in obtaining unit radio licenses and equipment.

c. Report on new development in communications equipment and techniques.

d. Develop recommendations to the Board on actions related to communications.

3. MEDICAL

a. Advise member units on current practices in wilderness emergency medical care and make related recommendations to the Board of Directors.

4. EDUCATION

a. Coordinate the development, promotion and revisions of educational programs. b. Work closely and regularly with the MRA Public Information Officer, Finance Committee and Planning Committee. c. Stay abreast of current Preventive Search and Rescue (PSAR) and wilderness educational issues and keep the membership updated on these issues. d. Oversee and assist with the smooth operation of the Library and Clearinghouse.

5. LEGAL COUNSEL

a. Provide legal advice to the President and Board of Directors.

b. Act as attorney for the MRA when necessary.

c. Review applications for membership for all legal questions. Specifically, review the bylaws revisions to determine compliance with the MRA bylaws and constitution.

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d. Protect the MRA trademark. 6. EQUIPMENT/ TECHNOLOGY Promote the exchange of information among member

units concerning new developments in rescue and mountaineering equipment and technology. Disseminate advances in equipment and rescue techniques and procedures.

7. TRAINING Promote the exchange of information among members concerning search

and rescue techniques through displays of training materials, articles in the newsletter, and workshops and seminars.

8. LEGISLATIVE

a. Compile, evaluate, and report on existing, proposed, or pending state and Federal

legislation, regulations, or court cases affecting member units, personnel or operations.

b. Assist member units and regions in supporting or opposing legislation, consistent

with MRA policies.

9. PUBLICATIONS Supervise the production, publication, and distribution of the MRA newsletter and any other publications, as directed by the President or the Board of Directors.

10. LONG RANGE PLANNING Prepare, and keep up-to-date, a long-range plan for the

structure, operation, and activities of the Mountain Rescue Association. The long-range plan should take into consideration the aims of the association, its resources, and the methods recommended for effectuation.

11. NOMINATING A Nominating Committee will be appointed each year to prepare a

slate of candidates for officers of the MRA. See Policy 304 for information about the nominating committee.

12. BYLAWS AND POLICIES Research and recommend draft amendments and changes

to the adopted bylaws and policies. 13. RECOGNITION, AWARDS AND HONORS COMMITTEE (3-24-99)

a. Solicits and makes nominations for MRA awards and for other organizations’ awards which MRA individuals or units may be appropriate for (Higgins-Langley, NASAR, etc.)

b. Ensures a permanent, published record of all awards given by the MRA

c. Arranges for the acquisition or materials and for the presentations of awards

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d. Categories may include; 1) Conspicuous bravery or heroism, above and beyond the normal demands

of duty, performed displaying extreme courage while consciously facing imminent peril. Shall not have violated reasonable safety standards

2) Life saving award. Actions resulted in the preservation of a life that otherwise would almost certainly have been lost

3) Death or injury in the course of duty 4) Outstanding mountain safety education program(s) 5) Outstanding contribution of an outside agency to Mountain SAR 6) Outstanding contribution of a unit or person 7) Distinguished service, special recognition 8) Tasteful “tongue-in-cheek” categories

e. Recipients may be from outside of the MRA f. Recipients, their supervisor, and the head of their local SAR authority are to be

invited to the ceremony 14. PUBLIC RELATIONS/PRESS INFORMATION

a. Provide a central point through which the MRA can provide positive public relations and media relations.

b. Prepare national public relations programs and news media releases. Act as a

national spokesperson, along with the President, Vice President and other officers.

c. Maintain verbal and written contacts with national news media.

d. Maintain awareness of national issues regarding mountain rescue, and report to

the Officers Committee, as appropriate.

e. Work closely with the Education/Preventive Search and Rescue Committee, Finance Committee, and Long Range Planning Committee for common interests.

15. I.C.A.R. (INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR ALPINE RESCUE) LIAISON

a. To promote understanding and cooperation between ICAR and the MRA in order to coordinate and improve the state of search and rescue, victim care and rescuer safety in the country and the world.

b. Stay abreast of ICAR Board meetings, minutes and activities. Attend ICAR

meetings and speak on behalf of the MRA, or, when possible, provide for a capable alternate. Provide information to ICAR regarding MRA activities which may be mutually beneficial. Provide MRA with reciprocal information.

c. Each delegate will serve a 4 year term. Every two years, 2 positions will be

available for nomination and a vote by the BOD of the MRA. Incumbents can apply for these positions with no term limit. An announcement of the position opening and requirements to serve

for each position will be sent to the MRA membership by

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February15th of the election year by the ICAR committee chair via the Admin lister. Applications will be accepted until May 15th of the election year.

Applications for the Medical Commission delegate positions will be screened by the MRA Medical Committee. The Medical Committee will bring forth recommended candidate(s) to the ICAR committee chair for consideration by the board of directors.

At the Spring MRA Conference, the ICAR committee chair, or his or her representative, will present all the completed applications and conduct a ballot vote by the BOD.

An alternate will also be chosen. The applicant who receives the second highest amount of votes will be the alternate.

d. ICAR Representative Expectations

Each delegate should be regarded by their peers as a top expert in their respective field (Terrestrial Rescue, Air Rescue, Mountain Rescue Medicine and Avalanche Rescue).

Each delegate should have an extensive resume with current field work in their respective field.

Each delegate should have extensive experience representing their field to other organizations.

Each delegate should have a least one major leadership position in regards to their position.

Each delegate must have a current passport. e. ICAR Representative Responsibilities

Each delegate is expected to attend both of the annual ICAR conferences during their 4-year term.

If the delegate and alternate cannot attend the meeting, the ICAR committee chair must be informed as soon as possible and will choose an alternate.

Each delegate to ICAR is expected to participate and if possible present at every ICAR annual conference.

Each delegate is required to submit an electronically written report summarizing the information learned at the conference within 30 days post conference. This report should be viewed as a sharing and teaching device to our membership and others involved in SAR.

Each delegate will be required to present the information gained at the conference to at least one of the following venues: o MRA Spring Conference o International Technical Rescue Symposium o Other ICAR Chair approved venues (webinar, associated

conferences etc…) f. ICAR Conference delegate Expense Protocols. Representation to the ICAR

Conference each year is a line item in the MRA budget. In addition, the MRA is grateful for our corporate and individual sponsors. These protocols are to be followed by all U.S. delegates to the annual ICAR Conference.

Registration Costs will be paid directly by the MRA.

507


All travel arrangements for ICAR delegates must be PRE-APPROVED by the ICAR Chair and Executive Secretary prior to purchase. If there is no pre-approval, the delegate may have his/her travel expenses denied at time of reimbursement.

Any changes to travel plans must be PRE-APPROVED by the ICAR committee chair or expense reimbursement may be denied.

There will be no reimbursement from a company directly to a representative for expenses normally paid by the MRA. If a company wants to support a representative, the funds must go through the MRA.

All APPROVED travel expenses will be reimbursed after the delegate submits his or her written conference summary report and sent to the ICAR committee chair within 60 days post conference or the delegate’s status may be terminated at the discretion of the officers.

For reimbursement from the MRA for expenses, travel arrangements will be made no later than 2 months prior to the conference.

All travel arrangements will be made with the MRA’s and our corporate partners financial interests in mind. Attendees will attempt to locate the most economical fares possible. Any additional costs, incurred from delay or personal business will not be reimbursed by the MRA.

Delegates are expected to attend and participate in the entire conference.

Any deviation from the above must be approved 60 days in advance by the ICAR Chair. Any deviation from the above, without approval, can affect the reimbursement process and future representation for the individual.

16. N.A.S.A.R. (NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR SEARCH AND RESCUE)

LIAISON

a. To promote understanding and cooperation, and to create positive and open relations, between NASAR and the MRA in order to improve the state of search and rescue, victim care, and rescuer safety in the country and the world. To keep abreast of NASAR activities as they may relate to the MRA.

b. Stay abreast of NASAR Board meetings, minutes and activities. Attend NASAR

meetings when possible. Speak on behalf of the MRA. Provide MRA with information.

c. Help coordinate MRA co-hosting interests during the annual North American

Technical Rescue Symposium. 17. A.S.T.M. (AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS) LIAISON

a. To promote quality and practicality in the state of wilderness search and rescue, victim care and rescuer safety during the establishment of ASTM standards, and to keep abreast of ASTM activities as they may relate to or affect the MRA.

508


b. Represent the MRA at ASTM meetings and gather information and documents. Participate in Task Groups at will. If unable to attend, provide a capable alternate or keep updated as to documents or activities at meetings. Report to the ASTM on related MRA issues and MRA standards or documents. Report to MRA on ASTM matters.

18. MRA RESOURCE RESPONSE COORDINATION

a. To provide a single point of contact for response and resource assistance where MRA resources may not be known.

b. Maintain a 24-hour telephone number with personnel available capable of

responding to inquiries or requests.

c. Maintain up-to-date information on MRA resources via annually mailing a Resource Inventory Form.

d. Develop and implement procedures for coordinating MRA responses. Route to

the appropriate region, team(s) and the local governmental SAR authority in the discipline requested. The agency requesting assistance should be responsible for providing insurance, air transport and accommodations, although this is up to the local teams to confirm.

e. Supporting documents shall include;

1) Inquiry or Request for Resource Information 2) Team Resource Inventory Form

19. STATISTICS CHAIR AND COMMITTEE (1-24-99)

a. Under the guidance of the Membership Chair and the Vice President, oversees the collection, compilation and publication annually of the unit statistics of all MRA units via phone, e-mail and attending meetings. 1) Coordinates with Treasurer to ensure that a reminder for Statistics (aka:

Annual Report) is included in the annual dues invoice.

b. Establishes and maintains contact with like agents of other outdoor and SAR Statistics programs (i.e., AAC/ANAM, NCRC, IKAR, National Safety Council, NOLS, etc.). 1) Works toward international standardization for reporting by cooperating with other organizations and/ or by leading 2) Recommends revisions to the statistics form and format to the Vice President 3) Submits MRA statistics totals to the IKAR Statistics Commission, for the purpose of international safety in the mountain and outdoors

c. Submits a written report for the January and June Meetings and the web site,

showing; 1) All MRA member units 2) Whether they have turned in Statistics for each of the past 3 years

509


d. Submits an additional report for each June meeting and the FORUM showing; 1) Totals in each category 2) Highest in each category 3) Notable trends or circumstances

e. Maintains neatly bound-type records of Statistics, including annual summaries

and reports, preferably available for viewing at each June meeting. 1) Ensures a set goes to MRA Archives each year 2) Upon leaving the committee, turns over the records to successor or Vice-President

f. Responds to requests from MRA units, Officers, other committees, and

occasional outside requesters for information.

20. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GRANT COMMITTEE (1-24-99) a. Purpose

1) Provide funds for research or development and testing of SAR systems and equipment.

2) Promote better understanding of mountain rescue systems and technology.

b. Scope 1) Mountain SAR technical and EMS systems, equipment, research and

development. 2) Specific or general accident analyses and research

c. Funds

1) The amount shall be determined by the MRA Grant Committee members based on the MRA budget and available funds.

2) Joint funding of the project by the MRA Grant and the MRA Unit or Units and/or Region is desirable and encouraged.

d. Operating Requirements.

1) Applicants shall be an accredited (full or partial) MRA unit, member of one, or recommended by an MRA unit accredited in the discipline(s) applied for. Applicants shall have no financial interests in the results of the work performed under this Grant.

2) Funds can be dispersed to multiple selected applicants. 3) Applicants shall submit a written proposal to the Grant Committee, in the

format provided by the committee. 4) Awardees shall submit receipts and accounting within 12 months of

receipt of funds. Accounting may be required sooner than twelve months when the nature of the grant permits it, the MRA may do an on-site audit to verify purchases consistent with receipts and the accounting.

5) Awardees shall submit a written report with the approach and the results to the Grant Committee chairperson and to the MRA Clearinghouse before the one year agreement period is over. The awardees shall submit this report and photos in format useable for the RESCUE FORUM.

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6) The recipient is encouraged to present at ITRS and/ or at the MRA Spring conference within the one year agreement period or within the following year (negotiable with the MRA Grant chairperson).

7) Awardees may submit to other rescue/ WEMS trade journals after the one year agreement period, or before that with written permission of the MRA Grant chairperson.

8) The MRA does not endorse methodology or results of the work performed under the grant, and such a statement is required on each paper by awardees.

9) Awardees who do not comply with any or part of this can be eliminated from any current or future processing or consideration by the committee upon discovery.

10) The Grant Committee will ask for proposals on the MRA Lister and in the RESCUE FORUM

11) The Grant Committee will evaluate the proposals and determine the

winner by majority vote and recommend to MRA President or Vice-president to award the grant.

21. FUNDRAISING AND DEVELOPMENT (1-18-03) a. Plan fundraising and solicit funds for MRA 1) Develop the value of various sponsorship levels and categories. 2) Explore and test new fundraising approaches. b. Work with other MRA committees to; 1) Define and forecast strategic needs. 2) Document them in briefing papers. 3) Develop funding sources for them.

c. Coordination between local units and MRA will occur prior to any organization being solicited for the MRA Spring Conference.

d. Members of the MRA Fundraising Committee may include people in addition to

MRA members. Note Addendum at end of this handbook: Grant Proposal Form (periodically updated by committee)

511


REPORTING OF COMMITTEES (06/12/94)

Policy 503. A. Report to the Board Each active committee shall report to the Board of Directors at each Board

meeting. The report should be in writing, if feasible, and should be submitted in time to be included in the meeting package. If a written report is not submitted in time, the report should be submitted verbally at the Board meeting.

B. Content The report should include any information necessary for the Board's consideration, and,

if warranted, a recommendation for action by the Board. The report should also outline the procedures used for gathering the information and the results of any committee meetings held to prepare the report.

600


DUES (Policy 601, 1-08-12 revised) Policy 601. A. Members subject to dues The following member units are subject to dues. The officers

committee can authorize reasonable financial hardships for applicant units or existing units on a year-to-year basis.

1. Regular (Full) Members

2. Associate Members

B. Amount of Dues The annual dues shall be $15 per active team member, with a minimum of

$225 and a maximum of $1000 per member unit. All shall be in U.S. funds. C. Date Payable Dues shall be received by January 1st of each year and are thereafter considered

delinquent. D. Additions Each member unit shall forward the dues of team members who join or become active

after January 1 of the current year but before January 1 of the following year. Dues shall be payable as soon as the member joins or becomes active.

E. Procedure Dues shall be sent in the form of check or money order to the Secretary by the

deadline above. Dues shall be accompanied by a roster, call-list, or separate list indicating the persons for whom dues are being paid. The dues should include a person and address to send the membership cards and receipt to. The Secretary shall promptly cash the check and enter the dues in the MRA bank account, and shall send the proper amount of MRA membership cards, with a receipt, to the person indicated.

F. Failure to Pay Dues Any member team which fails to pay the full amount of its dues by the

deadline established in these policies shall lose its voting privileges until the dues are paid. If a team continues to abuse the dues requirement, it shall be subject to further action, including loss of membership.

601


BUDGET (06-12-94)

Policy 602. A. Requirement The Board of Directors shall adopt a yearly financial budget for the MRA at the

winter Board of Directors meeting. B. Content The budget shall include a starting balance, a listing of anticipated revenues and

expenditures, and a projected balance at the end of the fiscal year. It should be detailed enough to identify all anticipated sources of revenue and general and specific categories of expenditures.

C. Procedure

1. In consultation with the President, the Treasurer shall prepare a preliminary budget and submit it for inspection of the Officers Committee 90 days prior to the Winter Meeting.

2. The preliminary budget shall be sent with the meeting package to each member unit not

later than 60 days before the winter meeting.

3. The Board of Directors shall adopt a final budget at the Winter Board meeting. D. Compliance with Budget Expenditures within designated categories shall not exceed the

amounts budgeted, expect by approval of the President and the Treasurer. At no time shall total expenditures exceed the amount budgeted, except by approval of the Board of Directors.

602


AUTHORIZED EXPENSES (06-12-94)

Policy 603. A. Expenses authorized by the adopted budget may be paid without further authorization. B. Expenses not authorized by the adopted budget require approval of the Officers Committee. C. All expenses over $1000 shall be approved by the Officers Committee. Policy 604. Accounting Procedures (Reserved) Policy 605. Audits (Reserved)

603


ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT (06-12-94)

Policy 606 A. Distribution The annual financial report shall be included in the information packet mailed to

member units 60 days prior to the annual meeting. B. The annual financial report shall be given at the annual meeting. C. Additional reports and updates are expected at all Board meetings.

700


INSIGNIA AND LOGO (Policy 701, 1-19-03 revised)

Background The MRA Bylaws, Article II, Section 10, states: "The Board of Directors shall establish uniform insignia for each category of membership, provided insignia for fully accredited units shall be distinct from other insignia. The Board of Directors shall establish policies and procedures governing the use of any insignia or logo adopted by the MRA for use by the MRA or its members, whether or not it is registered or copyrighted." These policies comply with the bylaws requirement. Policy 701. A. Description The official logo of the Mountain Rescue Association (hereinafter called "logo") is

described as follows: A Greek, or equal-dimensioned, cross positioned in the center of abstract-rendered mountain profile, set in a circular band having the word "MOUNTAIN" in the top of the band and "RESCUE" in the bottom of the band. The mountain profile and the band are dark colored, or dark blue, and the cross and words are light colored, or silver. The size, dimensions, and proportions of the logo may vary, however any similar rendering shall be considered equivalent. The logo is registered with the Trademark Commission in Washington, D.C. under Registry No. 722.413.

B. Purpose The purposes of the MRA logo are: To identify MRA units, unit equipment, and unit

members; to promote the MRA among outside organizations and the public; and to identify official publications, material, and correspondence of the MRA.

C. Uses The MRA logo may be rendered on patches, decals, lapel pins, license emblems,

letterheads, and other forms only as approved in these policies. D. Variation by Membership Classification The official insignia is different for each

classification of membership. The following describes the insignia for each membership classification:

1. Rescue Insignia The Rescue Insignia may only be displayed by Rescue Members of

Regular and Fully Accredited Ex-Officio units. The Rescue Insignia consists of a round patch bearing the MRA logo in blue and silver, without additional identification.

2. Support Insignia The Support Insignia may only be displayed by Support Members of

Regular and Fully Accredited Ex-Officio units. The Support Insignia consists of a round patch bearing the logo in blue and silver, with a rocker reading "SUPPORT" under it.

3. Associate Insignia The Associate Insignia may only be displayed by individual

members of Associate units. The Associate Insignia consists of a triangular patch with the MRA logo in blue and silver. The words "MOUNTAIN RESCUE ASSOCIATE" are written on the side borders, with "ASSOCIATE" on the base of the triangle.

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INSIGNIA & LOGO (Policy 701, 1-19-03 revised) 701D

4. Ex Officio Insignia The Ex Officio insignia may only be displayed by individual members of Ex Officio units. The Ex Officio Insignia consists of a triangular patch. The words “MOUNTAIN RESCUE EX OFFICIO” are written on the side borders with “EX OFFICIO” on the base of the triangle. (6/97)

5. Wilderness Search The Wilderness Search patch may only be worn by members of

Associate or Ex Officio units who have been accredited in Wilderness Search.

6. Technical Rock The Technical Rock patch may be only worn by members of Associate or Ex-Officio units who have been accredited in Technical Rock.

7. Snow and Ice The Snow and Ice patch may only be worn by members of Associate or

Ex-Officio units who have been accredited in Snow and Ice. E. Authorization for Use Authorization to use the MRA logo and insignia for any purpose shall be

defined in these policies. Any other use not defined in these policies may only be granted upon written authority of the MRA.

1. MRA Officers and Employees The logo may be used by MRA officers and employees

in the performance of their official duties, when acting for the association.

2. Official MRA Information, Material, and Publications The logo may be used on official publications of the MRA, including the newsletter. It may also be used on material produced by the MRA for general or specific distribution, such as promotional material, reports, videotapes, books, leaflets, survival kits, key-chains, mugs, banners, etc. Each item must be approved by the Board of Directors before it may be sold or distributed.

3. Delegation to Regions and Member Units Authorization to use the MRA logo is

granted to MRA regions and member units in good standing for the following purposes and under the following conditions:

a. To identify Rescue Members who have met the competency guidelines set forth

in these policies. (1-15-95)

b. To identify Support Members who have met the competency guidelines set forth in these policies. (1-15-95)

c. To be used on official unit equipment, stationery, and publications, where it is

used in conjunction with the unit name and it is clear that the identified item and any association inferred by use of the logo, is not under the control of the MRA but is under the control of the unit or region. The item may also not be sold unless the MRA logo has been removed.

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INSIGNIA & LOGO (Policy 701, 1-19-03 revised) 701E

d. (3-24-99) MRA units are authorized to display the MRA logo of their membership level on a certificate with a statement such as, “...has met the requirements of the Mountain Rescue Association for Rescue or Support, in Wilderness Search, Technical Rock, Snow & Ice, EMS, etc. (per MRA policies 105 and 106).

4. Official Patches, Decals, Lapel Pins The official MRA patches, decals, and lapel pins

may only be produced by the MRA. They shall be sold by the MRA directly to member units in good standing for resale to team members under the conditions set forth in these policies. MRA patches, decals, etc., may also be sold or given to individuals and organizations to be used for public display, such as in patch collections, provided the MRA logo is not used to identify a non-MRA person or activity.

5. Use of MRA Logo by Corporate Sponsor Logo The MRA logo may be made available

for limited use by financial supporters. This logo will only be used with the words "We Support" above the logo and “Association” below the logo. The size of lettering to be at least as large as the words “Mountain” and “Rescue” in the logo. The conditions of the release of the MRA logo will be defined by the Officers Committee, consistent with the MRA mission statement.

F. Prohibited Use Authority to use or display the MRA logo shall not be permitted for the

following:

1. To endorse or identify any commercial product or service.

2. To identify or promote any non-MRA individual, organization, or entity.

3. To further any religion, philosophy, movement or cause unrelated to the purposes of MRA.

4. To promote political activities, except as may be associated with the purposes of the

MRA and then only incidental to the activities of the MRA. G. Obtaining Authorization Where authority for use of the MRA logo is not permitted or

prohibited above, a person, team, or organization may be given authorization through the following procedure:

1. The applicant shall request authorization from the Officers Committee in writing or by

submitting a motion at a regular Board meeting. The application shall contain enough information on the proposal to enable the Board to make a decision based on MRA bylaws and policies.

2. The Officers Committee will analyze the request and vote on the proposal according to

the meeting procedures. The applicant will be notified of the decision as soon as possible.

703

INSIGNIA & LOGO (Policy 701, 1-19-03 revised) 701E H. Withdrawal/Cancellation of Authorization The Officers Committee may withdraw or cancel

its authorization to use the MRA logo at any time, upon determination that the use of the logo has violated these policies or conflicts with the purposes of the MRA. Individuals and member units which do not comply with the requirements for use of the logo and insignia shall cease use of the logo and shall return any materials containing the logo that are not owned by the individual to the issuing authority.

704


MEMBERSHIP CARDS (Policy 702, 01/21/00 revised) Policy 702. A. Purpose The purpose of the MRA Membership Card is to identify MRA team members to

officials during operations, to provide a nationwide standard card recognized by authorized agencies, and to provide a method of distinguishing accredited personnel during disasters or other emergencies.

B. Distribution Policy MRA membership/identification cards are issued by the MRA only to

accredited member units in good standing, for distribution according to these policies to team members. The number of membership cards issued is equal to the number of team members whose dues have been forwarded to MRA. Membership cards are the property of the MRA and shall not be transferred or sold. The information contained on membership cards is the responsibility of the issuing member team and is not controlled by MRA. Membership cards shall be returned to the issuing member team upon leaving active service with the team.

C. Administrative Procedure (01/21/01)

1. Upon receipt of dues and team roster, the MRA will issue the appropriate number of cards to the team secretary or designee.

2. The card remains the property of the MRA and should be surrendered to the unit or to the MRA if the member is no longer a member. The card is good for one calendar year only.

3. Additional cards for new members may be requested at any time, and will be sent upon receipt of the standard per-member dues.

Note Addendum in Policy 1000 for samples and instructions.

705


UNIFORMS, PATCHES, STICKERS, EMBLEMS (06/12/94)

Policy 703. A. Uniforms The MRA has no standard uniform. Member units are free to develop their own

uniforms as they see fit. B. Patches Where MRA patches are used on a uniform, or used to identify a qualified member of

an MRA unit on his or her clothing; it is recommended that the MRA patch be placed on the right shoulder of the uniform or garment. This does not prohibit its use in other appropriate places on a uniform, consistent with team policy. Patches may also be used on equipment used for search and rescue operations.

C. Stickers and Emblems Permanent or transferable stickers and emblems may be used on

equipment, or for other uses consistent with MRA purposes.

706


ENDORSEMENT OF COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES (Policy 704, 1-19-03 revised)

Policy 704. A. General Policy MRA does not endorse any commercial product or service. The use of the name

"Mountain Rescue Association" and of the MRA emblem or logo is granted to the member units as described in these policies. The use of the name "Mountain Rescue Association" and/or the MRA logo exclusively, and not in conjunction with the name of the individual member unit, is prohibited for advertising or for fund raising, unless approval is first secured from the Officers Committee.

B. Definition The term "endorse" includes any form of expression which would indicate favoring

one commercial product or service over another in representation to the public, including the use in advertising, catalogs, announcements, recommendations, or invitations. This policy does not, however, prohibit the comparison and rating of products and services used in the mountain rescue profession, where the intent is to advise members of the relative merits of the product or service. The result, however, should not infer that the MRA "endorses" any commercial product or service.

C. Member Unit Products and Services Member regions or units that provide products or services

for a fee may be permitted to use the MRA logo under the conditions spelled out in these policies. The product or service must be approved by the Officers Committee and the right to use the logo may be withdrawn at any time the region or unit does not meet the standards imposed. MRA shall not certify climbing schools, rescue training, or any other programs that are outside MRA direction and control.

707


MRA RADIO LICENSE (Policy 705, 06/12/94)

Policy 705. A. General Policy It is the policy of the MRA that member teams are responsible for all operations

of their team members while using the MRA radio license, which would include reimbursing MRA for any forfeiture levied against the organization.

800


RESCUE FORUM (06/12/94)

Policy 801. A. Official Publication The "Rescue Forum" shall be the official publication of the MRA serving

as the organization's magazine or newsletter. B. Purpose The purpose of the Rescue Forum is to provide information about Mountain Rescue

Association and the search and rescue profession, to the membership and general public. It also serves as a conduit for expression on matters of interest to the readers and otherwise furthers the purposes of the MRA.

C. Administration Publication and distribution of the Rescue Forum is a responsibility of the

Publications Committee. The Editor is appointed by the Board of Directors. Editorial content is the responsibility of the Editor, subject to review and approval by the Publications Committee.

D. Frequency of Publication The Rescue Forum should be published four times a year, if possible.

801


MRA DIRECTORY (06/12/94)

Policy 802. A. Definition and Purpose The MRA Directory lists the current members of the Mountain Rescue

Association together with important personnel of the MRA, its regions, and its units. The purpose of the directory is to provide members and the general public with an up-to-date list of members with their addresses and telephone numbers.

B. Content The Directory will contain all information deemed appropriate by the Publications

Committee: C. Administrative Procedures The Directory will be published not less than once each year, to be

ready to be distributed at the annual meeting. Publishing the directory is the responsibility of the Vice President. Changes to the information in the directory should be solicited regularly, especially during the Winter Meeting.

802


OTHER PUBLICATIONS MATTERS (Policy 803, 1-24-99 revised)

Policy 803. A. The MRA may, from time to time, publish other publications, including the "Information and

Policies Handbook", generally called the "blue book", containing the bylaws and official policies of the MRA. Other publications could include educational material and reports.

B. (1-24-99) Release of Mailing List. The MRA Officers shall have the discretion to release the MRA

membership mailing list of individuals on a one-time only to corporations who provide cash, product, or in-kind services to the MRA as part of its corporate membership program.

803


MRA STORES (Policy 804, 1-21-96 revised)

Policy 804. A. Purpose The purpose of the MRA Stores is to provide a means of producing and selling articles

related to MRA purposes. Items could include patches, pins, decals and stickers bearing the MRA logo, as well as other material.

B. Administration The Officers Committee appoints the MRA Store Manager. The Store Manager

reports to the Vice President. The Store Manager will keep an internal account of receipts, expenditures, and stock, and will report at each Board meeting on the status of the account. Any surplus balance over $1000 shall be forwarded to the Secretary until the balance is not more than $1000. The price of items will be set by the Store Manager and approved by the Vice President. Prices should include a profit over the cost of producing the item.

C. Sales Policy The items sold by MRA Stores may only be sold to MRA member teams and

individual members of such teams. The Store Manager shall adopt procedures for assuring that this policy is followed.

D. Availability at Board Meetings MRA Stores shall be available for purchase by MRA members

at reasonable times during Board of Directors meetings (see Policy 303.6). E. Educational Programs Small Stores shall be responsible for the distribution of finished

Education Committee materials (1-21-96).

804


MRA CLEARINGHOUSE (06/12/94)

Policy 805. A. Purpose The MRA Clearinghouse is established to provide a means of exchanging information

among MRA units. A secondary purpose is to allow the public access to MRA unit publications. The Clearinghouse provides reproduced material including position papers, policies, articles, and other loose-type materials.

B. Administration The Officers Committee appoints the MRA Clearinghouse Manager. The

Clearinghouse Manager reports to the designated member of the Officers Committee. The Clearinghouse Manager will keep an internal account of receipts, expenditures, and stock, and will report at each Board meeting on the status of the account. Any surplus balance over $1000 will be forwarded to the Secretary until the balance is not more than $1000. The Clearinghouse Manager will attend all MRA meetings, provide an acceptable substitute, or submit a written report to be presented at the meeting.

C. Procedure The Manager will receive and file material sent by MRA units or others. A list of

available publications will be provided periodically to the membership, but not less than once each year. The list will include the number of pages required to be reproduced, the method of reproduction, and the cost per page of reproduction. No original materials will be sent from the Clearinghouse. The price of the items will be set by the Clearinghouse Manager, subject to review and approval of the Board of Directors. As a guideline, the price should be equivalent to the cost of reproduction and mailing, plus an extra amount to keep the Clearinghouse fund solvent. Non-MRA members should be charged a nominal additional amount.

805


MRA LIBRARY (06/12/94)

Policy 806. A. Policy The MRA Library provides loan, rent and purchase material for MRA teams and other

approved groups. Material includes videotapes, films, slides, audio tapes, texts, etc., which are deemed useful to MRA member units and team members. The MRA Library and Clearinghouse serve a similar purpose, and may be managed by one person.

B. Administration The Officers Committee appoints the MRA Library Manager. The Library

Manager is responsible to the designated member of the Officers Committee. The Library Manager will keep an internal account of all transactions. The Manager will attend all MRA meetings, provide an acceptable substitute, or submit a written report. The report shall include:

1. Current catalogue of materials.

2. Addenda to the catalogue.

3. Purchases made and the cost of such purchases.

4. Number of inquiries received for library material.

5. Number of materials sent out.

6. Recommendations for major purchases.

7. Issues to be addressed.

8. Hours spent on library work. C. Procedures The Library Manager will maintain an organized method of cataloging and storing

material. The Manager will solicit materials by whatever means. Preventive Search and Rescue (PSAR) program master documents will be retained and only copies sent out. Checkout procedures shall be developed and maintained. Historic copies of MRA documents and materials shall be filed for reference and not loaned out.

900


POSITION STATEMENT (Policy 901, 6-95 revised)

Policy 901.1 Rescue Cost Recovery A. The Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) is made up of over 80 teams from the United States,

Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries --most of which are comprised of expert volunteer members. MRA teams work through or for a local government search and rescue authority. In an effort to give back to the community, to defray public agencies' costs and to keep taxes down, MRA teams have been performing the bulk of all wilderness search and rescue operations for the past 35 years. Those operations are done without charge to the victim.

B. The MRA firmly believes that training and education are the keystones in the solution to this

issue. We believe that the individual must accept responsibility for his or her actions, and that training in proper outdoor skills and for self-rescue might be the quickest and most effective method of resolving most rescue situations.

C. No one, however, should ever be made to feel they must delay in notifying the proper authorities

of a search or rescue incident out of fear of possible charges. We ask all outdoor groups and organizations to join us in sending this mountain safety message.

D. We recognize that the National Park Service and other governmental agencies have a need to

address defraying their costs and we would welcome any opportunity to be involved in discussion of solutions or alternatives to the charge for rescue issue. The expert volunteer teams of the MRA are proud to be able to provide search and rescue at no cost and have no plans to charge in the future.

E. The Mountain Rescue Association is "a volunteer organization dedicated to saving lives through

rescue and mountain safety education."

901

POSITION STATEMENT (Policy 901, 6-95 revised) 901.2 Policy 901.2. Search and Rescue Standards A. Whereas the search and rescue community has undertaken to establish search and rescue

standards and procedures, and whereas the Mountain Rescue Association has concerns about establishing standards in the abstract, it is hereby moved as follows:

That the Mountain Rescue Association should take a position of its concern that certain standards may be inappropriate in application. That such standards and procedures should be reviewed to determine whether they are appropriate at the time any application is made of such standards and procedures to a specific set of facts and or circumstances.

Policy 901.3. MRA Team Litigation should be covered by the responsible Government agency June 18th 1995 A. Those agencies charged with Search and Rescue responsibility should recognize those of our

teams who serve without charge as good Samaritans. Written agreements should be entered into with these teams to hold them harmless against any claims arising out of their volunteer services. Further, the costs of any defense of any litigation should be borne by the responsible agency.

MOUNTAIN RESCUE ASSOCIATION POLICY 1000

ADDENDA - ATTACHMENTS – APPENDICES

(Policy 1000, 09-30-2005 revised) 1000. The following attachments, samples and forms are for your convenience. They are updated periodically by the MRA committees, Officers, or Membership. Always look for the version with the most recent date. If you receive this policy via electronic attachment, the actual forms may be in a separate attachment. 1001. Forms x 1. MRA Research and Development Grant Proposal Form x 2. MRA Statistics Form x 3. International Commission for Alpine Rescue (IKAR) Statistics Form x 4. American Alpine Club (AAC), Accidents in N. Amer. Mountaineering (ANAM) Form * 5. MRA Membership Application Form(s). *See MRA Website page most recent version x 6. MRA Evaluator Application Form x 8. Out-of-Region Accreditation Schedule and Checklist Packet 1002. Region Packets. Available upon request from the MRA Secretary. Includes: Bylaws Policies Accred & Re-Accreditation Checklists 1. Alaskan Region 2. Appalachian Region x x x 3. California Region x x x 4. Desert Mountain Region x x x 5. Intermountain Region x x x 6. Oregon Region x x x 7. Rocky Mountain Region x x x 8. Washington Region x x x


Research and Development Grant Proposal

Please Return to: Mountain Rescue Association

PO BOX 880868 San Diego, CA 92168

Email: [email protected] Phone: 858-229-4295 Fax: 619-374-7072 Project Title: (specific and descriptive) Date: MRA Unit/s: Project Leader: (Phone Number and E-Mail) Funding: OBJECTIVE: (what) What is the specific goal of this project? NEED & BACKGROUND: (why) Why is this of such interest to MRA? Provide background information, including previous and present work. Reference previous publications. APPROACH: (how) What work is proposed to be done, what questions are to be answered, what issues addressed? How? To what schedule? With what critical milestones? COSTS: For what costs in material, other resources including equipment, etc. EXPECTED RESULTS: (more): How will we tell that we have succeeded?

MAJOR PROJECT PARTICIPANTS: Names and qualifications


MRA STATISTICS FORM

Statistics for the Calendar Year

Team Name: _____________________________________________________

Region: _________________________________________________________

Item Number Total Number of: Number

1 Missions, including stand-bys 2 Mission man-hours 3 Subjects rescued 4 Search missions 5 Technical missions 6 Avalanche missions 7 Recovery missions 8 Subjects recovered 9 Missions outside your primary service area

10 Missions where aircraft were used 11 Missions where medical aid was performed 12 Public education presentations 13 Public educations man-hours 14 Training events 15 Training man-hours

Activity Types

16 Hiking 17 Climbing 18 Skiing (Downhill and cross-county) 19 Snowboarding 20 Snow Machine 21 Hunting 22 Aircraft 23 Automobile/Motorcycle 24 Mountain Biking 25 Other (Describe)

Return the completed form to: Linda Finco

135 Jacquelyn Ridgecrest, CA 93555-3947 or E-mail it to [email protected]

Instructions 1. Missions – Total number of times your team was activated for a mission. Include stand bys, turn

a rounds as well as completed missions. 2. Mission man-hours – Total number of man-hours spent by the team on missions.

3. Subjects rescued – Total number of subjects that were rescued by your team. Do not include

body recoveries.

4. Search missions – Total number of missions where a search was performed by your team.

5. Technical missions – Missions where you had to transport a subject or provide some type of “technical” assistance to get them to a point where they could walk out.

6. Avalanche missions – Total number of missions where an avalanche was the reason for the

mission. Crossing an avalanche path enroute to a mission site would not count.

7. Recovery missions – Total number of missions where bodies were recovered.

8. Subjects recovered – Total number of bodies or portions of, that were recovered.

9. Missions outside your primary service area – Typically your county or similar geographic area.

10. Missions where aircraft were used – Rotary and/or fixed wing. Include even if your members were not part of the air operation.

11. Missions where medical aid was performed – You performed some form of treatment. Do not

include a patient exam/assessment where no treatment was performed.

12. Public education presentations – Total number of safety education presentations that your team provided to the public.

13. Public educations man-hours – Total number of man-hours that were spent doing public

education presentations.

14. Training events – Total number of training events that your team provided to its members.

15. Training man-hours – Total number of man-hours that were spent by your team during training events.

16-25. Activity Types – Total number of missions for each activity type.

Missions may count in more than one category. As an example, you get called for an overdue backcountry skier. A search is initiated; you follow tracks and ultimately find your subject in an avalanche. A technical rope system is used to lower the subject during a portion of the evacuation. This mission should be counted as a search, a technical mission as well as an avalanche mission.

Please contact Linda Finco at the addresses noted above for comments and/or questions.

DUE BY MARCH 1st Having your data submitted to Linda Finco by March 1st will ensure all of the compiled data of the MRA can be sent to the Forum/Annual Report editor. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

I.K.A.R. STANDARD REPORTING OF WILDERNESS ACCIDENT STATISTICS

Please Return to:

Mountain Rescue Association PO BOX 501

Poway, CA 92074 Email: [email protected] Phone: 858-229-4295 Fax: 619-374-7072

May 26th 1997. Rev. 6-2-97 The IKAR (International Commission for Alpine Rescue) requests standardization of rescue and wilderness accident statistics and 21 European countries have so far agreed. To have a data base such as this and to have it available would be invaluable and the IKAR will compile all countries’ information for us! The Mountain Rescue Association and IKAR Rep Tim Kovacs have agreed to be the repository in the U.S. and to publish the information for those U.S. groups which contribute. There are two forms (or “formats”) we are asking you to change to or to incorporate into your current statistics form. This form is for each individual of an accident, and the standard MRA Form is for annual summary statistics; For each individual: Year: ___________ Accident/ Report Number: __________ Country of reporting agency: ___________ Name of reporting agency: __________________________ Date of accident: YYYYMMDD ___________ Time of accident: (24 hour format): __________ Avalanche accident? Yes / No Search? Yes / No Meters above sea level: _____________ft __________m Nation where occurred: ___________ Total person hours for the mission: ___________ Number of rescue personnel in mission: ___________ Search Dogs used? Yes / No Victim: Date of Birth (YYYYMMDD): ___________ Sex (U=unknown): M / F / U Nationality: ___________

Injury type (*NACA Scale, 1-7): ___________ Time buried in avalanche (until uncovering head): ______hrs____min Depth of the head (meters and cm): ___________ Found by SAR Dog? Yes / No. Found by electronic device? Yes / No Found by Probe? Yes / No. Accident involving: Canyoning/ Canyoneering Yes / No. Hang Gliding. Yes / No. Paragliding. Yes / No. Mountain Climbing above 2500 meters. Yes / No. Rock Climbing. Yes / No. Bicycling (any type). Yes / No. Hiking. Yes / No. Cross Country Skiing. Yes / No. Ski Mountaineering. Yes / No. Downhill Skiing. Yes / No. Fall into a crevasse. Yes / No. Rock/ Icefall. Yes / No. Fall. Yes / No. Lightning strike. Yes / No.

NACA IKAR- Injury Severity scale 1. Injury/illness relatively insignificant. No acute treatment required (bruises, abrasions, sprains). 2. Not life threatening. (Worse abrasions, toe & finger fractures. Generally no hospital stay.) 3. Not life threatening. (Open wounds, peripheral nerve or vessel injury, Spinal insult with no neuro

findings, femur fx, lower extremity ligaments, mild hypothermia, appendicitis, high fever, etc.) 4. Not life threatening, but can not rule out possible short term life threat. (Open skull fx, head/ brain

injury with >15 minute LOC, blunt belly trauma, simple closed upper leg fx, amputated lower extremity, hanging in rope system, etc)

5. Life Threatening, without quick medical intervention will die, may include transport in resuscitation

(suspected neck fx with neuro symptoms, multiple rib fx with respiratory compromise, open chest wound/trauma, multiple fx of larger bones, femur fx with shock, open pelvic fx, cardiac problem with dysrhythmia, pulmonary edema, HAPE with severe respiratory insufficiency, severe hypothermia, etc).

6. Injury or illness, where after restoration of function or following resuscitation, the patient

remained in the hospital. 7. Fatal, or unsuccessful resuscitation on scene or at hospital.

THE AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB 710 Tenth Street, Suite 100 Golden, Colorado 80401

303-384-0110

ACCIDENT REPORT FORM Revised: 2-2-98 PURPOSE AND DESCRIPTION: The primary purpose of these reports and the Annual Report of Accidents in North American Mountaineering is to aid in the prevention of accidents. The person filling out the form should be familiar with the circumstances of the accident and, therefore, either the person(s) directly involved should complete it or at least review it. Full narratives and suggestions for future climbers are welcomed. If any persons involved wish to remain anonymous, in a case where no rescue was involved, the editor will honor that request. 1. REPORT COMPLETED BY (Names and Address or Affiliation with Accident): ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. DATE OF ACCIDENT:________________________________________________________ 3. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION:__________________________________________________ Route: ______________________________________________ 4. NAMES (Or use a number or initials, etc.) and AGES of Persons directly involved: 1. ______________________________________________________ Age: ______________

2. ______________________________________________________ Age: ______________

3. ______________________________________________________ Age: ______________

4. ______________________________________________________ Age: ______________

5. ______________________________________________________ Age: ______________ 5. Total Number of Persons in Party or Class: ________________________________________ 6. DETAILS OF THE ACCIDENT: (Please circle all appropriate selections) A. ROCK SNOW ICE RIVER UNKNOWN

B. ASCENDING DESCENDING UNKNOWN

C. IMMEDIATE CAUSE (You may circle more than one) Fall or Slip on Rock Piton Pulled Out Fall or Slip on Snow Failed to Follow Route Fall or Slip on Ice Faulty Use of Crampons Falling Rock or Object Lightning

Exceeded Abilities Skiing Exposure Ascending Too Fast Avalanche Stranded

Failure of Rappel Illness Fall into Crevasse Moat Nut or Chock Pulled Out

Loss of Control-Voluntary Glissade Unknown Equipment Failure (Be Specific) __________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Other (Be Specific)_____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

D. CONTRIBUTORY CAUSE (You may circle more than one): Climbing Unroped Exposure Exceeding Abilities Failure to Test Holds Inadequate Equipment/ Clothing Inadequate Belay Weather Poor Position Climbing Alone Failed to Follow Directions Placed No, or Inadequate Protection Illness Darkness Nut or Chock Pulled Out No Hard Hat Party Separate Piton Pulled Out

Equipment Failure (Be Specific) __________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Other (Be Specific)_____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

E. TYPE OF INJURY (You may circle more than one): Fatality Acute Mountain Sickness Abrasion Hypothermia Laceration High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) Concussion High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) Sprain Heat Exhaustion Strain Heat Stroke Infection Psychological Fracture Frostbite Dislocation Unknown

Pre-Exisiting Condition: ________________________________________

Other (Be Specific)_____________________________________________

7. EXPERIENCE LEVEL: (Circle One) None or Little (1st year) Moderate (1-3 years) Experienced Other 8. NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT (Use extra sheet if necessary):

_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________ 9. ANALYSIS OF ACCIDENT: What Knowledge and Techniques will Help Prevent Future

Accidents? _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

10. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________


National and International Accreditation and Re-Accreditation

Evaluator Application

Please Return to: Mountain Rescue Association

PO BOX 880868 San Diego, CA 92168

Email: [email protected] Phone: 858-229-4295 Fax: 619-374-7072 Date ____________________________

1. Applying for:

National Evaluator___ International Evaluator___ Lead Evaluator___ Evaluator Instructor___ 2. Name_______________________________________________________________________________ 3. Address_____________________________________________________________________________ City__________________________________________ State __________ ZIP___________________ Contact Phone(s) _______________________________ Email_________________________________ 4. Unit________________________________________________________________________________ Unit’s Accreditation Level: Full - Rock - Search - Snow & Ice 5. Years of MRA Rescue Technician -level experience or equivalent (min. 1 year):____________________ 6. Lead Evaluator: I have minimum 5 years at MRA Rescue level on an MRA unit. YES – NO

If no, explain on back. 7. I am MRA Rescue Level in: ___Rock ___Search ___Snow & Ice 8. Total years at MRA Support level: _________ Total years you’ve been on MRA units: _____________ 9. Number of times as Evaluator on an MRA Team Accreditation _________________________________ 10. Years & Type of Mountain Climbing Experience:____________________________________________ 11. Field rank on your unit: _________________________ Medical Cert. level: ______________________ 12. I can travel: Out of Region ____ Out of Country _____

13. Other Summary of Rescue Experience (Continue on back):____________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ 14. Summary of Incident Management Experience and Training: __________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ 15. Verified and Recommended by Unit Board. Please put any comments on back. Yes - No

Authority name: ___________________________ Signature: ______________________________ 16. Verified and Recommended by Regional Officers. Please put any comments on back Yes - No

Region Chair name: ___________________________ Signature:_______________________________

17. Verified and Recommended by the Membership Chair. Selected by MRA as: __Evaluator __Lead Evaluator __International Evaluator. __Evaluator Instructor Membership Chair name: _________________________ Signature:_______________________________


SAMPLE ACCREDITATION SCHEDULE

(Repeat for each category) Rev: 3/98 FRIDAY 1200 hours Site visit by evaluators 2000 hours Evaluation team reviews applicant team's paperwork and addresses last minute issues. 2200 hours Evaluation team has organizational meeting to discuss: Overall accreditation schedule Evaluator assignments Last minute changes SATURDAY 0700 hours Evaluation Team Meeting and Breakfast (No applicants) 0730 hours Evaluation team meets Applicant Team: Introductions and general Welcome Speech Stuff 0800 hours Discussion of Past Search (and/or Rescue, as applicable) Operations (½ of Evaluators review area for Field Exercise if not previously done) 1000 hours Technical review "Hands On" demonstration and Q/a session of teams basic grasp of systems 1200 hours LUNCH 1230 hours Transport to Field Exercise Area 1330 hours Field Exercise, Wilderness Search (or Low Angle, as applicable). 1830 hours BREAK Evaluator Team Meeting and Dinner Review each evaluators' comments, and plan to deal with the issue Come to "consensus" on summary Summarize into ONE debrief 2000 hours Post accreditation debrief 2200 hours Adjourn for celebration SUNDAY 0800 - 1200 hours Reserve time for possible reschedule or re-testing


Team Evaluation Worksheet

Technical Search, Rock and Snow 5-13-99 Scoring: ______Accreditation ______Re-accreditation 1 = Not Adequate X = Did not observe 2 = Pass 0 = Did not perform Requirements in this area 3 = Exceeds *Failure or Remedial Correction Item Team: ________________________________________________________________ Date: _________________ Location: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Search Rock Winter A. Preliminary 1. Sufficient number of personnel on team to carry out testing? 2. Team equipment appears adequate and safe, and as reported in application? *3. All field teams operate with at least 1 SARMR, WEMT or OEC equivalent? B. Organization 1. Pre-Planning a. Is the agency which receives assistance requests from the public search (or rescue) “aware”? b. Is there an efficient way to get the initial request for help into the hands of the responsible agency? *c. Available resources identified, documented and pre-agreed d. Input point from public established 2. Mission Size up a. Conducts & documents thorough initial interview b. Conducts urgency assessment? c. Matches urgency with adequate response? 3. Interviewing & Intelligence Gathering a. Maintains availability of reporting party Search Rock Winter

b. Are additional potential interviewees identified and interviewed? c. Interviews and information gathering continuous? C. Communication 1. Call-out procedures a. Primary Call-out completed b. Secondary Call-out completed c. Incident Commander identified d. Site Commander identified e. Interagency support needs identified and coordinated f. Logistical needs identified and met 2. ICP Operations/ IMS/ Radio Procedures (ICP= Incident Command Post) a. ICP organized? b. Communications plan developed and implemented? c. Briefings adequate for ICP and for field personnel before deployed? d. All possible and plausible scenarios considered? e. Search plan developed & implemented? f. SAR plans and Map(s) distributed to all necessary people, promptly? g. Interagency coordination effective? h. Rescue resources identified independent of in-field resources, if needed? i. Efficient rescue plan for daylight, night-time and low light? j. Rescue plan ready to deploy within 10 minutes from the ICP or field? k. Was a Ground or Air Ambulance with ACLS available within a 10 minute response to the ICP or delivery point? l. All personnel & teams tracked (location & mission)? m. IC gets and evaluates all information? n. Family and Media adequately handled? o. Adequate support services at ICP? (food, communications, maps-topos) Search Rock Winter p. Are field teams adequately sustained by ICP?

q. Did field team leaders remain informed of the situation & decisions? r. Were communications or signals clear, concise and understood? s. Did a leader control the communication? t. Did radio communications become too crowded for efficiency? u. Were debriefings adequate for field personnel? v. Was documentation adequate? (Plans, Incident Logs, Map with areas marked) D. Strategy 1. Leadership Strategy & Tactics a. Did a recognized leader take charge of the operation? b. Was the situation evaluated thoroughly and correctly? c. Did the leader delegate tasks & authority to others? d. Did leaders stay out of task level function and tunnel vision? e. Is there depth of leadership: others able to run specific aspects of operation? f. Did the leadership recognize incremental deterioration of safety or control, address or resolve it, or lacking that ability, did he/she stop the action? _____ _____ _____ g. Evidentiary items & deceased dealt with within local legal requirements? _____ _____ _____ h. Were crew or sector leaders clearly identified? _____ _____ _____ i. Did they maintain tactical control? _____ _____ _____ j. Good on-scene report? Updated whenever critical changes occurred? _____ _____ _____ k. Determined as a search vs. rescue vs. recovery in a timely fashion? _____ _____ _____ 1) Were appropriate plans changed and needed resources called? _____ _____ _____ l. Did leadership remain aware of weather changes and short term forecasts? _____ _____ _____ 1) Did they make field teams aware? _____ _____ _____ m. Is the team familiar enough with IMS that they can work within a large scale, multiple-resource operation? _____ _____ _____ n. Field teams react effectively to new developments or changes in the situation? Search Rock Winter _____ _____ _____ o. Was the Incident Management used effectively overall? _____ _____ _____ p. When the party is found or the mission suspended, is there orderly notification to all elements and affected parties?

2. Management of Additional Resources _____ NA _____ a. Canines considered or called? (winter: avalanche dogs) _____ _____ _____ b. Rotary winged/ Fixed wing? _____ _____ _____ c. Other agencies? _____ _____ _____ d. Public and Media? (Specialists, Type Is; media helicopters, broadcasts...) _____ _____ _____ e. Appropriate and knowledgeable use of GPS & adjuncts? 3. Efficiency _____ _____ _____ a. Do field teams move promptly to their areas of assignment? _____ _____ _____ b. Did the team work effectively to get the job done? _____ _____ _____ c. Did someone coordinate and direct the teams’ efforts? _____ _____ _____ d. Did the team function as a unified organization rather than as individuals? No free lancing? _____ _____ _____ e. Did the team properly utilize personnel, equipment and expertise? _____ _____ _____ f. Did they minimize wasted time and effort? _____ _____ _____ g. Did members demonstrate initiative? h. Were all tasks accomplished as quickly and reasonably as possible? i. Were the victim(s) located and reached safely and effectively? j. Was a victim evacuation plan established and executed in a timely manner? 4. Clues, Tracks and Methods _____ _____ _____ *a. PLS identified (search, add: visited and evaluated) _____ _____ _____ *b. Determines search (or rescue) area _____ _____ _____ *c. Confines/ Contains _____ _____ _____ 1) Point(s) of return monitored _____ _____ _____ *d. Hasty teams sent to high probability areas and routes, in a timely fashion Search Rock Winter _____ _____ _____ e. Utilizes attraction _____ NA NA f. Utilizes sign cutting _____ _____ _____ *g. High probability areas & routes actually checked

_____ NA NA h. POA & POD appropriately determined and used _____ NA _____ i. Central collection & evaluation of clues _____ NA _____ *j. Clues, tracks and scent articles located, marked, preserved and documented _____ NA NA k. Other search methods appropriate E. Safety 1. Personnel _____ _____ _____ a. Field personnel inspected for proper equipment for their task? _____ _____ _____ *b. All personnel adequately prepared for overnight, weather changes, hydration & nutrition for all four seasons in their response area? _____ _____ _____ *c. Field crew leader aware of members’ pre-existing and developing conditions? _____ _____ _____ *d. Was a Safety Officer assigned? _____ _____ _____ *e. Was the team technically prepared for an extended mission? _____ _____ _____ f. Did members appear physically capable of performing tasks? _____ _____ _____ *g. Any personnel deployed to, or left to return from, a remote setting to ICP alone? NA _____ _____ *h. Was the fall line monitored and kept reasonably safe? NA _____ _____ *i. Were personnel at the edge appropriately secure? NA _____ _____ j. Was use of helmets appropriate? _____ _____ _____ k. Was rock fall and debris fall danger minimized? _____ _____ _____ l. Was the safety of rescuers (or searchers) paramount at all times? _____ _____ _____ m. Did each deployed & subdivided crew have reliable communications? n. Was footwear appropriate for all field members? NA _____ _____ *p. Anyone remain in a system vector between anchor and edge? _____ _____ _____ *q. Was the team or a crew not familiar or competent with any equipment they employed? Search Rock Winter _____ _____ _____ r. If helicopters were used, did all team members perform safely? 3. Victim NA _____ _____ *a. Members in control of patients and non-rescuers so that they were not in control of their own technical ascent, descent or other critical technical system?

_____ _____ _____ *b. All victims escorted to ICP or pre-arranged point to diminish their getting lost or further injured? _____ _____ _____ c. Was extra equipment carried or readily available for the victim? (insulation, shell, eye & head protection, hydration, nutrition) NA d. Was victim tied into a secure system ASAP? NA _____ _____ *e. Was victim kept secured at all appropriate times? _____ _____ _____ *f. Were any victims overlooked or not addressed? F. Medical Skills & Care. Recognizes and treats moulage or reported injuries, or verbalizes at their

level of certification. All items must be covered as listed (How would you recognize and how would you treat?)

1. Basic Wilderness Medical Skills _____ _____ _____ a. Exposure control precautions and disposal _____ _____ _____ b. Primary & Secondary Survey (BP or equiv., Pulse, Resp, Skin Temp, LOC) _____ _____ _____ c. Checks & Tx Breathing compromise _____ _____ _____ d. Controls reported or moulage bleeding _____ _____ _____ +e. Verbalizes psychogenic vs. true shock _____ _____ _____ f. Irrigates wounds aggressively & dresses _____ _____ _____ +g. Splint & immobilizes Fractures & Dislocations _____ _____ _____ +h. Check & Tx for Internal Injuries _____ _____ _____ +i. Spinal immobilization _____ _____ _____ +j. Checks & Tx Burns and pulmonary burns _____ _____ _____ k. Checks & Tx Hypothermia (remove cold & wet sources, add insulation on round, cover from above, layering system, heating adjuncts, monitor via thermometer or LOC & skin) _____ _____ _____ l. Check & Tx for Frostbite _____ _____ _____ m. Check & Tx for High Altitude Illness Search Rock Winter _____ _____ _____ n. Ability to improvise + Scenario must include at least 2 injuries from e, g, h, i and either j or k. 2. Reasonable Care _____ _____ _____ *a. Was someone immediately assigned to care for the victim, and did they? _____ _____ _____ *b. Was there continuous care?

_____ _____ _____ c. Were vital signs monitored often enough? _____ _____ _____ d. Was psychological care provided (TLC)? _____ _____ _____ e. Were their first aid fundamentals adequate? _____ _____ _____ *f. Able to clear or manage aspiration problem? _____ _____ _____ *g. Adequate documentation before turning over to transport agency? 3. Packaging _____ _____ _____ a. Was patient made as comfortable as possible? (ask patient) _____ _____ _____ *b. Patient protected from weather, debris to head, torso and eyes? _____ _____ _____ c. Was loading and evacuation smooth and gentle as possible? _____ _____ _____ d. Was victim padded, secured and protected, but accessible? _____ _____ _____ e. Did patient pass tip and roll test? (rotate & stand on each end, barrel rotation) _____ _____ _____ f. If combative, appropriately restrained? _____ _____ _____ *g. Were medical and packaging supplies adequate for conditions? NA _____ _____ h. Can the attendant or lead care giver move around, if needed? _____ _____ _____ i. Did technical and medical leaders work together to efficiently and appropriately address injuries and evacuation method? _____ _____ _____ *j. Any significant injuries overlooked, not treated, or not addressed? G. Technical Skills 1. Anchors & Systems NA _____ _____ a. Were natural anchors used to best advantage? NA _____ _____ b. Were anchors selected for position in relation to the problem? NA _____ _____ c. Were secure and appropriate anchors selected? Search Rock Winter NA _____ NA d. Do rescuers understand proper use and placement of pitons, nuts, bolts, SLCDs and other man made devices? NA _____ _____ e. Anchors rechecked during the operation? NA _____ _____ f. Overall anchor system adequate for actual and anticipated forces? NA _____ _____ *g. Did the safety margin(s) appear adequate? NA _____ _____ h. Humans kept out of systems belay chain?

NA _____ _____ i. Passes Whistle Test? NA _____ _____ j. Load Limiters used when appropriate? 2. Evacuation Methods for Terrain and Conditions _____ _____ _____ *a. Evacuation crew properly equipped for the evacuation? _____ _____ _____ b. Most appropriate evacuation method chosen or verbalized? (e.g., could they have carried down the back side vs. a vertical operation?) NA _____ _____ c. All systems, harnesses and rigs double checked by someone else? NA _____ _____ d. Was rigging set up in the best location? NA _____ _____ e. Belayers use proper technique? _____ _____ _____ f. Equipment adequate and properly used? _____ _____ _____ g. Work area, equipment and ropes managed & organized to avoid confusion? NA _____ _____ h. Connection from Line(s) to litter and to attendant appropriate? NA _____ _____ i. Belayer in total control of situation? NA _____ _____ j. Belay methods appropriate to terrain? _____ _____ _____ k. Carrying methods and number of litter bearers appropriate to terrain? _____ _____ _____ l. Litter bearers work as a team? _____ _____ _____ m. Was litter within their speed control at all times? _____ _____ _____ n. Demonstrate an adequate and efficient caterpillar pass? _____ _____ _____ o. Demonstrate smooth and adequate litter personnel rotation? _____ _____ _____ p. Route finder/ Scout used? Adequately? _____ _____ _____ q. Adequate energy-sparing method of carrying/ bearing? Search Rock Winter 3. Ropes, Equipment & Systems NA _____ _____ a. Debris safely cleared in technical working areas? NA _____ _____ *b. Ropes protected against damage? NA _____ _____ c. Adequate edge protection used and maintained? NA _____ _____ d. Did ropes cause avoidable debris or rock fall? NA _____ _____ e. Knots adequate, clean, dressed, backed up when needed? NA _____ _____ f. Ropes reasonable kept from twisting and kinking?

NA _____ _____ g. Gloves worn by systems brakemen and belayers? NA _____ _____ h. Extra rope for an emergency? NA _____ _____ i. Systems relatively uncluttered and manageable? NA _____ _____ j. Significantly damaged or compromised equipment put out of service in a timely and

safe fashion? _____ _____ _____ k. Members avoid stepping on ropes, webbing, accessory cord? NA _____ _____ l. Mitigate or verbalize the hazard of icy ropes? 4. High & Low Angle _____ _____ _____ *a. Litter quickly and correctly rigged? NA _____ _____ b. Litter properly positioned for the situation? NA _____ _____ c. Signals between litter and belayer take top priority? _____ _____ _____ d. Everyone’s signals clear and concise? NA _____ _____ e. Friction adjustable on the lowering system? NA _____ _____ f. Hard ascenders, if used, used appropriately? NA _____ _____ g. Lowering/ raising efficient, effective and smooth overall? NA _____ _____ *h. Each system pre-tensioned? NA _____ _____ *i. Pendulums controlled safely? NA _____ _____ *j. Demonstrated a piggy MA system NA _____ _____ k. Knot pass executed smoothly and properly? (<2 minutes) NA _____ _____ *l. Mechanical advantage set up properly for raising? Search Rock Winter NA _____ _____ *m. Brake provided on the raising rope(s)? NA _____ _____ n. Load raised over the edge safely, smoothly, no further harm to patient? 5. Mid Face Skills, Care, Loading NA _____ NA a. Patient pressure points relieved within 5 minutes of arrival to patient? NA _____ NA b. Patient loaded without doing more harm? NA _____ NA c. Time from arrival of litter until patient’s weight in litter <5 minutes? 6. Winter 7. NA NA _____ *a. All field members appear competent in winter survival?

NA NA _____ *b. Enough members proficient on skis or snowshoes? NA NA _____ *c. Able to climb moderate snow slopes without problems? NA NA _____ *d. Able to move with adequate speed to the accident site? NA NA _____ e. Adequate team-rope travel? NA NA _____ f. Adequate Ice Ax Arrest? NA NA _____ g. Enough members skilled with crampon use? NA NA _____ h. Proficiency in route selection and avalanche avoidance? NA NA _____ i. Rescuers understand use & placement of bollards, flukes, pickets, screws, etc? NA NA _____ j. Can enough members perform a Boot-Ax belay? 8. Avalanche Rescue 9. NA NA _____ *a. Beacons checked by team on receive and transmit before deploying? NA NA _____ *b. Was there a site leader to manage the actual scene? NA NA _____ c. Verbal attraction used upon approach? NA NA _____ *d. Avalanche lookout posted-adequate location/ other method to ensure safety? NA NA _____ e. Safe zones identified? NA NA _____ f. Beacon search conducted appropriately? NA NA _____ g. Members instructed when to have beacons on transmit or receive? NA NA _____ h. Hasty (scuff) search properly conducted? Search Rock Winter NA NA _____ i. Perimeter search conducted? NA NA _____ j. Clues flagged, probed underneath, used to determine subject location? NA NA _____ k. Site leader informed of all clues, and did he/she ask appropriate questions? NA NA _____ l. Clues used to determine umber of subjects in avalanche area? NA NA _____ m. Multiple victims and operations prioritized? NA NA _____ n. Coarse probe search adequate.

Mountain Rescue Association Individual & Oral Quizzing Worksheet

5-13-99 Scoring: ______Accreditation ______Re-accreditation 1= Not Adequate X= Did not observe 2= Pass 0= Did not perform Requirements in this area 3= Exceeds *Failure or Remedial Correction Item Member Name:_______________________________________________________ Date:_____________________ Team: _________________________________________ Location:______________________________________ Duplicate areas need only be done once per category if done the same month by the same rescuer. Five MRA Rescue-level members shall, without the aid of reference materials, demonstrate ability; A. Personal Safety Search Rock Winter _____ _____ _____ *1. Adequate personal, survival and bivouac gear for four seasons in their area _____ _____ _____ *2. Adequate nutrition and hydration supplies _____ _____ _____ *3. Adequate hydration of self (1= not drinking + S&S of fatigue, inattention...) _____ _____ _____ *4. Adequate feeding of self (1= S&S hypoglycemia, fatigue, etc.) _____ _____ _____ 5. Verbalizes methods of acclimatization _____ _____ _____ *6. Adequately compensates or mitigates altitude illness _____ _____ _____ *7. Adequately compensates or mitigates hypothermia or frostbite _____ _____ _____ *8. Adequately compensates or mitigates hyperthermia (1= unable to adequately complete tasks) _____ _____ _____ *9. Familiar with all personal equipment he/ she carries _____ _____ _____ *10. Recognizes and mitigates significant hazards (lightning, swiftwater, crevasse...) _____ _____ _____ *11. Needed to be reminded repeatedly of same or similar safety issue(s)? _____ _____ _____ *l2. Inherently or repeated unsafe practice? _____ _____ _____ *13. Fourth class ability _____ _____ _____ *14. Can locate current position on map (2 minutes) _____ _____ _____ 15. Can plot route to given position on a map (2 minutes) _____ _____ _____ 16. Can use GPS to obtain Latitude and Longitude, and confirms it within 15” Latitude & Longitude on map

Search Rock Winter B. Rope Dynamics 1. Knots. Can tie without error <60 seconds NA _____ _____ *a. Simple Bowline NA _____ _____ *b. Double fisherman’s bend NA _____ _____ *c. Prussik, plus apply 75 seconds NA _____ _____ *d. Figure follow through NA _____ _____ *e. Water bend NA _____ _____ *f. Butterfly, or other mid-rope knot:________________________ NA _____ _____ *g. Sufficient tail or safety tie off, as needed C. Stresses & Loads in systems, Improvisation 1. Anchors NA _____ _____ *a. Construct & test Load Distributing or Sharing Anchor, 3 point min. NA _____ NA b. Place camming device, chock and hex NA _____ _____ c. Assess an appropriate natural anchor for rescue load NA _____ NA d. Evaluate existing piton and bolt anchor as useable and safe NA _____ _____ e. Explains relationship of load and angle between anchors NA _____ _____ f. Explains force relationship between length of fall and rope NA _____ _____ g. Explains effects of edge protection NA _____ _____ *h. Builds a 3:1 mechanical advantage (may diagram) NA _____ _____ i. Able to improvise a seat harness and chest harness 2. Verbalizes average strengths of; NA _____ _____ j. 8mm prussik cord NA _____ _____ k. 7/16 static rope, plus stretch factor NA _____ _____ l. 1/2” static rope, plus stretch factor NA _____ _____ m. Standard locking “D” aluminum, plus at gate and side loaded NA _____ _____ n. Large locking “D” or Pear- aluminum, plus at gate and side loaded Search Rock Winter NA _____ _____ o. Non-locking, plus at gate and side loaded

NA _____ _____ p. Knots, in general NA _____ _____ q. Performs Munter hitch NA _____ _____ r. Performs sitting hip belay NA _____ _____ s. Emergency tie off of climber under tension NA _____ NA t. Rappels past knot (5 minutes max. at knot) NA _____ NA u. Ascends past knot (5 minutes max. at knot) NA _____ NA v. Employs an alternate method of rappel with non-descender D. Winter Personal Safety & Anchors NA NA _____ *1. Safely leads glacier rope team NA NA _____ *2. Able to snowshoe or XC ski NA NA _____ *3. Mobile on steep snow with crampons and ice ax NA NA _____ *4. Able to glissade and safely self-arrest NA NA _____ 5. Demonstrates fixed line technique NA NA _____ 6. Demonstrates one method of testing snow stability (only 2 rescuers max. required) Can place without error for rescue load: NA NA _____ *7. Bollard, Fluke, Picket, Deadman, Ice Screw NA NA _____ *8. Boot-Ax belay

Mountain Rescue Association EVALUATOR'S FORM

4-27-99 Team Name: ____________________________________________ Date: _____________________ Location: _______________________________________ ( ) Accreditation ( ) Re-Accreditation Each evaluator must now make decisions based on their evaluation of those areas that they observed. The worksheets you have filled out are only to be used in assisting you in making these decisions. No one question should be weighed more than another should, nor should the scores be added up. The decision you make will be subjective. In making your decision you should also consider the following questions for each of the exercises.

1. Was the safety of any rescuer, the person(s) being rescued, or any bystander ever inappropriately compromised?

2. Would you trust your life to their system setups? 3. Are their techniques familiar/ standard enough that their members could integrate with other MRA teams? 4. Would you be able to work with this team on a mountain search and rescue operation? 5. Would you feel safe if this team were to rescue you?

============================================================================= SEARCH

Pass_________ Fail__________ Did Not Observe __________

Summary strengths in this area: ____________________________________________________________ Summary weaknesses in this area: __________________________________________________________ =============================================================================

TECHNICAL ROCK

Pass_________ Fail__________ Did Not Observe __________ Summary strengths in this area: ____________________________________________________________ Summary weaknesses in this area: __________________________________________________________ =============================================================================

SNOW & ICE

Pass_________ Fail__________ Did Not Observe __________ Summary strengths in this area: ____________________________________________________________ Summary weaknesses in this area: __________________________________________________________ ============================================================================= ________________________________ ______________ ________________________________

Evaluator's Signature Date Your Team

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